As a widespread and mass-consumed source of meat, the potential diversity and beauty of chickens is very often overlooked (the same goes for cows and pigs). Photographer and visual artist Ernest Goh, however, has created a series of images that highlight the beauty and character that chickens can exhibit when given a chance.
The series of images focuses on the Ayam Seramas, a chicken bred specifically for its beauty. They even compete in chicken beauty pageants! They have extraordinarily high, full and proud-looking breasts and proud plumage as well. Some even describe their upright posture as human- or warrior-like, especially because they hold their wings close to their body and down towards the ground – like arms.
The stark black backgrounds on which Goh shoots his strutting models only serve to accentuate their unusual (for a chicken) postures and proud-looking plumage. This, along with the chickens' interesting postures, makes for an interesting series of photos. And they've all been published in a photo book called Cocks: The Chicken Book, which you can buy on his website.
