Hiroshi Sugimoto
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Birds of Japan. 1994, gelatin silver print. Purchase, Bequest of Joseph Halle Schaffner in memory of his beloved mother, Sara H. Schaffner, and Gift of Carl Rungius, by exchange, Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, 2000.14.
What seems to be a conventional landscape photograph becomes utterly uncanny upon closer examination. The inanimate placement of two birds in the foreground with feathers in sharp focus, the unnatural transition between the background and foreground, and a host of small details reveal this as a photograph of a natural history diorama, a mode of display dedicated to the lifelike reconstruction of animal specimens and their habitats.
This picture is part of a larger series in which the Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto turned his camera on the displays of the American Museum of Natural History to investigate modes of representation, perception, and preservation. The collision of taxidermy and photography, both regarded as a way to conserve and deepen knowledge of the natural world, acts as a reminder that our understanding of nature is mediated, often through artificial materials. Speaking of the series, Sugimoto remarked, “However fake the subject, once photographed, it’s as good as real.”
— Sindy Chen