ARTIST STATEMENT - Birds Freedom to Fly series of 24 art photos. Antonia’s Birds Freedom to Fly series of artistic photographs, captured the brief moment of a flock of birds homing in on a swarm of fish set against the magnificent horizon viewed from above the beach of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, and put these into the most modern context.

In Antonia Pia Gordon's Birds Freedom to Fly series, she captures a fleeting moment above the Ras Al Khaimah beach, offering a modern perspective on nature and technology. A natural progression from her Colorizons series, these artistic photographs blend bold, expressive colors with a profound exploration of the horizon. Gordon introduces a juxtaposition of nature and technology, reminiscent of her Past Present Future series, delving into the impact of technology on mankind and nature. This series surpasses her previous works, drawing inspiration from Percy Bysshe Shelley's Ode to a Skylark, epitomizing freedom and mankind's aspiration for effortless flight. Referencing Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, the cormorant, a symbol of eternity, encourages us to savor the present and seek infinity—a recurring theme in Gordon's art. The juxtaposition of nature and technology, with black interacting with bold red, echoes her signature duality of theme.

The choice of cormorants, ancient birds with ancestors dating back to the dinosaur era, against the backdrop of Dubai, a modern metropolis with a 7000-year history, is intentional. Cormorants, featured in heraldry and known for their wing-drying pose resembling the Christian cross, are set in a city that bridges tradition and modernity. The series symbolically intertwines cultures and religions, posing universal questions. Gordon's quest to merge tradition with modernity is evident as the cormorants soar alongside airplanes and helicopters. The inclusion of the endangered Socotra cormorant, supported by Dubai's nature reserves, juxtaposes tradition with a dynamic, advancing metropolis. The series challenges the idea of limits, questioning whether the sky truly is the limit. In the 25 art photos comprising the Birds Freedom to Fly series, Gordon invites viewers to soar over the Strait of Hormuz, exploring the intersection of tradition and modernity. She prompts contemplation on the relationship between nature and mankind, questioning whether one follows the other, and underscores mankind's conquest of the sea and sky in a shared quest for abundance. continue reading …