The photographs of Osma Harvilahti aestheticize the world to the point of abstraction. His subjects are color, pattern and shape. Photography for him is not a way to observe and understand the world, but rather an instrument that allows him to isolate fragments of it. “In my photographs, it’s intentionally less about representation than about interpretation,” says Harvilahti. The work is structured like a chain of ideas and visual narratives guided by the choice of color and other formal settings. “I tell stories, but the stories are plotless. All that matters is the surface of the image.”
Harvilahti has degrees in fashion sociology and art history from the University of Helsinki and degrees in visual journalism and graphic design from the University of Aalto. In 2014 his work was exhibited at the 29th International Festival of Fashion Photography, and in 2013 as part of several group exhibitions (Nordic Tones, Art Rebels Gallery, Copenhague, 89+, Serpentine Sackler Gallery, Londres, Wish You We’re Here, Month of Photography Los Angeles). Last year also saw the publication of his first book,Polychromatic (LIC).
http://osmaharvilahti.tumblr.com
BOOK
POLYCHROMATIC
First Edition
460 numbered copies
96 pages, 73 colour plates
21.0 cm x 27.0 cm
Hot foil embossed cloth covered hardcover
Éditions du LIC 2013
ISBN 978-82-93341-01-7
http://editionsdulic.com/products/polychromatic
CONTRIBUTOR
Severine Morel
[email protected]
