Exotic Species

The Print Sales Gallery of The Photographers’ Gallery, London, presents “An Incomplete Dictionary of Show Birds” by Luke Stephenson. Through 19 February, 2017.

Never seen before, this collection is a continuation from Stephenson’s 2009 critically acclaimed and best-known series to date, featuring his distinctive and quirky portraits of show birds.

In 2009 Stephenson discovered the peculiar and insular world of show bird competitions. Immersing himself in the subculture of ‘bird fancying’, the artist has spent the past seven years tracking down and gaining exclusive access to ever more exotic species to photograph. Adopting the formal and precise ‘language’ of show-bird photography, Stephenson imbues it with a quality that borrows from studio portraiture lending his feathered subjects an almost human presence.

Luke Stephenson (born in 1983, Darlington, England) lives and works in London. Since graduating in 2005 and winning the Jerwood Photography Prize the same year, Stephenson has been working as a freelance photographer focusing on eccentric British hobbies and exposing fascinating “archaeological layers of English culture” hidden from the mainstream. His work has been published in a variety of publications including The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, Dazed & Confused, Foam, Art Review and Wallpaper*.

Please find more information at The Photographers’ Gallery