Kristin Schnell Yesterdays 2, 2022/2023

German, Baltic Sea-based Kristin Schnell’s practice explores the fragile relationship between humans and the natural world. Schnell (b. 1968) photographs birds that were once neglected or abused, which now live in the artist’s countryside sanctuary. Placed within staged environments, the birds act as a subject and a metaphor, reflecting on ideas of freedom, care, and confinement, addressing the vulnerability that birds and humans share in contemporary life. Inspired by the sun shining through stained-glass windows, Yesterdays 2 is from Schnell’s series Breathing Lights, recalling the artist’s childhood memories of attending church.