Published in 2018, Pentti Sammallahti: Des Oiseaux was one of the first two titles of a collection by Éditions Xavier Barral that celebrates the powerful presence of birds in a world where they are now vulnerable. Despite his frequent attention to dogs, cats, and other animals during his many travels, Sammallahti’s work finds its true apotheosis in birds. Residents of the land, sea, and sky, birds find their way into the artist’s field of vision no matter what continent or country he explores. In some photographs, they fill the frame as a flock, alighting from a tree or field, their speed and restlessness mirroring the artist’s own itinerant spirit; in others, one or two stands alone, sanctifying the spot with its quiet presence and its choice to break flight. In many photographs, the small shape of a bird is the anchor that unifies the entire composition, holding its own beneath a staggering sky, or bringing delicate balance to a jumble of branches or power lines.
More information is available about the book and this collection from Éditions Xavier Barral at this link.
Hardcover, 120 pages
ISBN-10: 2365112153