Of Cages and Feathers

Michael Reid Berlin’s 2026 program takes flight with the opening of Of Cages and Feathers – the gallery’s first solo exhibition from German-born, Baltic Sea–based contemporary photographer Kristin Schnell. Set to be toasted with opening drinks on Saturday, 24 January, Of Cages and Feathers presents a dazzling selection of poppy and playfully constructed bird portraits spanning several key series from across Schnell’s celebrated career.

Within the artist’s ebullient world, scenographic sets built from boldly interlocking geometries in brilliant, high-voltage hues deliver an optical charge befitting the outsized personalities of her feathered subjects. Quoting from the slick, pop-inflected lexicon of commercial photography – often stripped of natural context save for a shadowy suggestion of trees or sky – her vibrant images bring focus to the beauty, presence and quizzical interactions of Australian native birdlife, each affectionately lensed through the eye of a master colourist and singular visual stylist.

But beneath the surface dazzle of Schnell’s graphic compositions, the mix of exuberance and control that powers her practice also gestures to a quieter tension. “The exhibition brings together several bodies of work that revolve around the same central questions: freedom and constraint, care and control, and the complex emotional space between humans and animals,” she says, reflecting on the pertinent social and environmental themes that thread through Of Cages and Feathers and lend a compelling conceptual depth, urgency and a tinge of melancholy to her otherwise sunny scenes.

Sharing its title with the Schnell’s 2024 monograph, Of Cages and Feathers is the artist’s first presentation since her selection as a finalist in the 2025 edition of the prestigious Head On Photo Awards, which saw her shortlisted work Son and Father exhibited at Sydney’s Paddington Reservoir Gardens. “My bird models are originally from Australia. Colonial trade carried their ancestors to Europe, and generations have lived behind bars, far from their natural habitats,” says Schnell in an online Artist Profile published to coincide with the exhibition. “With the Head On exhibition, they return home – at least visually – and that makes me very happy.”

We look forward to welcoming visitors to the gallery over the coming month to experience Of Cages and Feathers by Kristin Schnell. For all enquiries – and to RSVP to our opening celebration and informal artist talk – please email colinesoria@michaelreid.com.au