Des Oiseaux - Rinko Kawauchi Rinko Kawauchi

This book was released featuring previously unreleased photographs, as part of the Des oiseaux (On Birds) series. The collection unfolds around an international body of photographers – each depicting the theme, birds, through their unique forms of expression.

Kawauchi began shooting for the collection in April 2020; she focuses her sights on a nest of swallows found near her home, where she photographs parent swallows as they raise their young. The nest in the eaves; the parents, taking flight in search of sustenance. Chicks await them, beaks open eager and wide. Buds arise from the tips of branches. The sparkling sun. Through her photographs, Kawauchi appears a still observer to the ceaseless cycle of life – persisting on no matter what the circumstance – and the primal power at work there. We, her viewers, live in the time of COVID-19; we face days of uncertainty, forced to deal with all manner of restriction. In her photographs, however, we find a moment of fresh air and awaken to new courage.

Des oiseaux additionally features an essay by the ornithologist Guilhem Lesaffre, entitled A few grams of elegance – the volume not only presents Kawauchi’s photographs, but also provides rich insight into the life cycles of the swallow.

“I witnessed the parent swallows in their silent, dutiful pursuit of acquiring food for their young. The sight gave me a new, simplified perspective—it made me think that merely being able to feed your child is fulfilling a vital role as a parent. I felt encouraged, and my emotions, closed and shut in, seemed to find release.” ――Rinko Kawauchi