From flocks and chatterings to parliaments and murders, a multitude of terms describes a collective gathering of birds. This linguistic richness reflects our enduring fascination with our feathered friends. This summer, the Print Sales Gallery presents a curated menagerie featuring unique perspectives from five of our represented artists. Together, they contribute to and celebrate the rich tapestry of birds in art.
Luke Stephenson (b. 1983, UK) is a photographer with the British psyche at the core of his work, intrigued by its many eccentricities. In the eagerly anticipated third chapter of his series, An Incomplete Dictionary of Show Birds, Stephenson draws on his fascination with the unique world of show birdkeeping. Starting over a decade ago, the project has developed into a magnificent collection of birds of all shapes, sizes and colours.
Miho Kajioka (b. 1973, Japan) creates minimalist work that draws on the Japanese tradition of “wabi-sabi” – the appreciation of beauty in imperfection and transience, and the Zen/Taoist belief that the essence of an object exists in the empty space inside and around it. Birds and fish often feature in Kajioka’s work – their streamlined bodies moving through the world in a way that feels ethereal to the human eye.
Paul Cupido’s (b.1972. The Netherlands) photographic practice centres around the search for beauty in the ephemerality of life. Cupido’s carefully crafted artworks explore a lifelong interest in the universal connection between people and nature, his dreamlike images transform the ordinary into the sublime.
Pentti Sammallahti (b. 1950, Finland) travels far and wide discovering relationships between people and animals that are captured with sensitivity and whimsy. Birds find their way into the artist’s work no matter what continent or country he explores - the resulting darkroom prints hold a supernatural sense of a moment suspended in time.
Julie Cockburn (b.1966, UK) is renowned for her creative re-imagining of found objects and vintage photographs, embellishing and reconfiguring the originals through carefully applied embroidery, and other craft methods. Her aim is not to 'improve' the original photos, but rather to add another chapter to its story and continue its journey.
