This photograph isolates the domestic hen—removed from the human pedestal of #17—elevating the bird itself to protagonist status atop raw stone plinth. The composition creates minimalist still life where barnyard animal receives museum treatment: centered, lit carefully, presented against neutral backdrop with fabric/burlap elements suggesting ritual wrapping or agricultural context. The hen's alert posture and sideways glance give it agency absent when positioned atop contorted flesh; here the bird is subject rather than surreal accessory. Sierra explores "El Envuelto Divino" (The Divine Wrapped) by suggesting divinity resides not in human form but in humble creatures when properly framed and elevated. The work questions what merits pedestalization—why not honor the chicken that provides sustenance as we honor marble gods?
Jose Sierra work is deeply influenced by themes of self-representation and a homoerotic gaze. Through his unique aesthetic, he creates abject staged environments that challenge traditional norms. His art often merges personal identity with broader cultural commentary, as seen in his notable works like "Anti-Personnel Grids" and "Self-Portrait." Sierra's pieces are a bold fusion of urban art and intimate self-exploration, reflecting his dynamic engagement with contemporary culture.
Domestic bird photography art exploring what merits pedestalization and the divinity in mundane. Archival pigment print from El Envuelto Divino. Available at The Art Design Project, Miami Beach.
Domestic Bird Photography Art - #18 from El Envuelto Divino, 2021
#18, 2021
From "El Envuelto Divino" Series
Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle paper
Limited Edition.
Unframed
Jose Sierra (b. 1991 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia) obtained his Master in Fine Arts from the University Institute of Fine Arts and Science of Bolivar (UNIBAC) in 2012 with a body of work titled Anti-Personnel Grids, which has since exhibited in different locales of Colombia. Shortly after, he was commissioned by the Colombian Ministry of Culture alongside the artist collective Si Nos Pagan Boys to participate in an urban art exposition titled, La Muerte Se Va de Vacaciones (Death is Going on Vacation) that was executed as a reaction to the traditionalism of Cartagena. In 2014, he exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Cartagena and in La Presentacion Casa Museo Arte y Cultura. He then exhibited in the Cultural Center Ciudad Movil in 2016 with a body of work created in collaboration with the Colombian photographer, Camo. In the same year, he was nominated for the International Luxembourg Art Prize for his recent work Self-Portrait. Sierra’s ongoing body of work continues to be based around his self-representation from which he addresses a homoerotic gaze through the configuration of abject staged environments that he merges himself within as “a subject of aesthetic creation.”
