The Magnificent Chicken
May 2 – June 2, 2013
In The Magnificent Chicken, photographer Tamara Staples celebrates the champions of the chicken world at their best. Dozens of stunning portraits capture the quirky personality and undeniable grace of these noble birds. This celebration of the wonder, peculiarity, and magnificence of championship chickens showcases astonishing breeds in glamorous photos.
Staples’ love of show chickens began at a poultry show in Georgia. She continued to photograph champion birds at various shows around the country for several years. It was the perfect blend of her two photographic passions: portraiture and still life. With backyard chicken-keeping and urban farming at an all-time high, the proudest of purebred poultry take center stage.
“Each breeder has spent years creating a work of art, where genetics is key. And each bird IS a work of art, from the amount of toes on each foot to the width of the wingspan, from the precise color to the exact weight. Judges carefully inspect every detail. But there is also something else: personality. Chickens can be haughty, angry, affectionate, shy, charming, sedate, or even funny. In this project, not only do I introduce these regal birds, bred to a standard that most will never match, but I also attempt to capture the individuality of each bird. Just like people, chickens are unique. Take a look into the eyes of these birds and judge for yourselves.”
Tamara Staples lives and works in Brooklyn, NY as a commercial photograph and artist. She graduated from The University of Florida with a BFA. Her art practice includes photography, video and multimedia sculptural installation. Her work has appeared in Harper’s Magazine, the New York Times, New York Magazine, Town and Country, National Geographic and is featured on NPR’s This American Life (Poultry Slam, 2023) and CNN, is a fellow of the Rauschenberg Residency (2015) and a two-time recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Grant (2004, 2016). She was awarded Photolucida Critical Mass Finalist (2014, 2017-19). Her pure-bred poultry portraits resulted in the publication (Chronicle Books) of The Fairest Fowl: Portraits of Championship Chickens (2001), The Magnificent Chicken: Portraits of the Fairest Fowl (2013).
Staples debuted Side Effects May Include (2017) at the ICA San Jose. The ICA was awarded a large grant from The Knight Foundation due of the importance of the show’s message. The exhibition continued to Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, Ore (2018) and Firelands Association for the Visual Arts, Oberlin, Ohio (2018). All three galleries organized panel discussions around Polypharmacy. The accompanying book, Inventory of One Person’s Medicine Cabinet, was self-published in 2017.
Staples has participated in Arts Gowanus Open Studios (2015-2023), New York Times Portfolio Review (2017) and Fotofest International (2012, 2016, 2018). She was invited to The Other Artfair Brooklyn (2023) as a visiting artist. Her work is included in the collections of The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Art Houston, Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula, Fidelity Investments and Private Collections around the world.