Leila Jeffreys takes us with this book into a journey through tropical forests and jungles all over the world towards astonishing bird species that she has been taking studio portraits of since 2008: “I’ve long noticed how many birds have specific expressions, just like us”, she explains. Jeffreys’ images, which rely on a profound connection with her sitters cultivated over many years, are an exercise in both artistry and empathy. Cultivating the art of waiting, Jeffreys develops a gallery of whimsical and hyper-realist portraits where all the birds come attired in their most beautiful finery with sumptuous plumage colors. One by one, they let their character shine through: graceful, mischievous, shy, proud, timid, poseur, all of which seem to want to chat to the viewer. Her practice underlines how humans anthropomorphize animals and what we really do share.
This publication is part of the Des oiseaux (On birds) collection celebrating, through the vision of different artists, their immense presence in a world where they are now vulnerable. Accompanying these photographs, the ornithologist Guilhem Lesaffre writes a special essay. Titles in this collection include: Graciela Iturbide, Michael Kenna, Yoshinori Mizutani, Bernard Plossu, Pentti Sammallahti, and Terri Weifenbach.
An Australian born in Papua New Guinea to English and Indian parents, photographer Leila Jeffreys’ longstanding passion for animals crystallized after working alongside ornithologists in nature reserves when in 2008 she took studio portraits of birds. Through her lens, she captures parrots, cockatoos, birds of prey, doves, pigeons and seabirds. Her work both subvert and expand the traditions of portraiture. The profound link that she forms with her subjects underlines the attention she pays to shapes and colors. To create her images of birds, whose constant movement makes them a difficult subject to photograph, Leila has, through years of research and exploration, perfected the art of waiting. Her practice underlines how humans anthropomorphize animals and what we really do share. Leila Jeffreys lives and in Sydney, Australia. Her first solo exhibition, 2010’s Portrait of a Budgerigar revolved around intimate portraits of budgerigars. Since then, the artist has shown major bodies of work in the USA as well as London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia and she has released three books. She has a history of exploring, volunteering, lecturing and photographing birds in and from the Polar regions, Australasia, North America, Scandinavia and the British Isles.
Leila Jeffreys : Des Oiseaux
Collection Des oiseaux (On birds)
Published par Atelier EXB / Editions Xavier Barral
Text: Guilhem Lesaffre
Hardcover, 20,5 x 26 cm
96 pages, 47 colour photographs
Text: Guilhem Lesaffre
Two versions : English and French
Limited edition with print available
ISBN : 978-2-36511-258-1
