Olivier Follmi

From Booklist
Artist-photographer Follmi offers an incredible look at the stunning range of colors and textures of the life, people, and terrain of Africa. On a seven-month sojourn through Africa, Follmi visited Senegal, Namibia, Mali, Ethiopia, and other nations. Along with a photographer's artistic eye, his appreciation of the peoples and culture apparently granted Follmi access to some people whose culture is suspicious of photography. He records the splendor of everyday life and the crises of a continent challenged by poverty. Among the images: beautiful Himba women, with skin and hair adorned with ocher; women in a bridal party dressed in colorful cloth in Burkina Faso; elephants and leopards in the Ethosha National Park of Namibia; the waterfalls of Epupa and the Kalahari Desert of Namibia; the majesty of a cattle herder with outstretched arms; and the vibrancy of a marketplace in Mali. Follmi juxtaposes the striped headdress of a man with the stripes of zebra, the smooth bottoms of young children and the rough skin of an elephant, barrenness and verdant terrain. A gorgeous book. Vanessa Bush… (more)