'Evolving in isolation for millions of years, these beings are a living record of ancient lineages - preserving a version of the world long vanished elsewhere. This series honours that deep time and their quiet endurance. Look into their eyes and you'll see how fully they live in the immediacy of life. They remind us that we are animals too - and that we once lived with the same attunement to the natural world'. - Leila Jeffreys
Leila Jeffreys (born 1972, Papua New Guinea) works across photography, moving image and installation. She is best known for images of birds, photographed at human scale, which explore and subvert the conventions of portraiture. Her work is a result of long periods of research and exploration, and in the tradition of artist-activist, she conducts fieldwork, collaborates with conservationists and ornithologists, and champions programmes to protect and restore endangered habitats.
'(Leila's) images are simultaneously serious and witty, gentle and impactful; technically, they are quite miraculous. Her rapport with her subjects, her technical ingenuity, her eye for colour, form and composition and her expertise in the processes of fine art photography combine to create singular works that have often - alas - been imitated but have never come close to being equalled.' - Dr Sarah Engledow, Historian and Curator, National Portrait Gallery of Australia
Jeffreys is the author of three acclaimed books, including Birdland, published by Abrams, USA and Des Oiseaux, published by Atelier EXB /Editions Xavier Barral, France. Her work has been the subject of the documentary, Bird Nerd, by Australian Broadcasting Company (ABD).
