‘ Tribe ‘
is a series of captivating photographs of the incredible tribes of Ethiopia.
Joe has a deep connection with Ethiopia. His first trip to Africa was in 1993, and has visited six times since. He and his wife Georgie adopted their daughter Poppy from there 25 years ago and returned as a family to live for a year in Addis Ababa in 2007. While travelling through the country he became fascinated by the tribesmen who he felt were exotically decorated, enigmatic, timeless. He realised they possess an innate sense of fashion in a gracious and proud way.
There are over 80 unique tribes scattered within the country, each with its own distinct style of fashion. This series of Filshie’s work is a result of two years of documenting and interacting with them. He is passionate about recording their eclectic, beautiful ornamentation and body decoration that utilises elements of nature and found objects in extraordinary ways.
Choosing to photograph his subjects in a specially constructed daylight studio to depict them as truthfully as possible, the images thus become dynamic, sculptural studies of intense beauty.
