Michael Kenna, Des oiseaux, 2019

A master of black and white landscape photography, Michael Kenna brings to view an almost evanescent world that he invites us to contemplate. “In all my work, there is an underlying theme which is that of memory, time, change, atmospheres that seem linked to places. The birds soar, draw aerial figures in fluffy skies, patiently wait on branches … Suspended flights, stopped moments: time freezes, becomes immutable. Gradations of grey, tones with a slight sepia toning and depth of field instill a certain melancholy in Michael Kenna’s photographs. The world is silence. Like paintings from the great classical tradition, Michael Kenna’s bird photographs show a nature void of any human presence and where only birds reign.

This book is part of the Birds collection which celebrates, through the eyes of various artists, their immense presence in a world where they are today weakened. Ornithologist Guilhem Lesaffre offers a unique essay to accompany each set of photographs. Collection titles include: Graciela Iturbide, Yoshinori Mizutani, Bernard Plossu, Pentti Sammallahti, and Terri Weifenbach.