Elegy

Elegy is life – its transience, its fragility and its persistence.

In this space, infinity is a sumptuous, velvet darkness that beckons and tempts, carrying the weight and mystery of mortality.

These delicate, innocent bones invite us into a quiet communion with mortality. In their stillness, we find the freedom to contemplate life’s impermanence guided by wonder and reverence. They are humble markers of existence, holding the silent wisdom of cycles past and present, whispering the delicate balance between being and becoming. Through them, mortality is not an ending but a sacred threshold, a space where curiosity and respect entwine, and where we may touch the mystery of our own fragile, luminous journey.

The bones of an animal’s remaining form mesmerized me.

They spoke to the delicate equilibrium of my own existence, to the complexity of relationship and interdependence inherent in all living creatures.

Deborah Samuel

This is what Deborah Samuel does so well. She captures the elusive; the unseen, and the inexplicable and privileges us with a glimpse of the unknown.

Within these images lies the essence of life, its enigmatic conclusion woven from the beauty that quietly buries itself within.

The tender gestures of the skeleton, so delicate and fragile, evoke a sacred liminality where life and death entwine. In their subtle arcs and quiet curves, the boundary between being and passing dissolves, revealing a sublime, almost otherworldly grace—a gentle testament to the fragile, luminous thread that connects all existence.

"This desire to work with bird skeletons soon evolved into a great fascination with overall animal anatomy.

Samuel began to further research the animal world, satisfying a particular personal curiosity concerning their interpersonal relationships, examining how bonds were manifested.

Gothic, Darwinian, and quieting in its still reflection, the photography of Canadian artist Deborah Samuel captures the spirit of her subjects in haunting monochromatic likeness.

"The only way I can describe it is that I feel things" says the artist of her work. "Its pretty important to me that whatever I'm shooting, I capture the essence of something."

The poetic imagination of each photograph is anchored by the reality of life's fragility, transience and persistence.

A narrative told through the image of rigid bones and shells belonging to creatures who have long since vacated their pulsating flesh.

As seen in her photography, Samuel's interest in wildlife stems far beyond an animal's physical attributes; it is their emotions and the relationships they forge and nurture that holds her camera's focus."

- Kristyn Tsampiras, Filler Magazine, Canada