The Young Chicken Breeder – Night
Claudia Grünig, Germany
Claudia Grünig, born in Cologne in 1965, is a versatile artist with experience spanning exhibition design, animation, photography, and curatorial work. She has worked as a stage and costume designer for theaters in Germany and Switzerland, and held positions in animation studios creating illustrations and children’s books. Grünig holds a master’s degree and received the Konrad Adenauer Scholarship, currently co-founding the artist collective TESTFELD to organize exhibitions.
My photograph “The Young Chicken Breeder” depicts an eleven-year-old girl. Avelina breeds Silkie bantams. The photograph was taken in Worpswede at the train station in december 2024. No trains run there. She waits. The image conveys a sense of stillness. In a figurative sense, her Silkie bantams could be interpreted as messengers of peace. The portrait “The Young Chicken Breeder” is a very personal portrait of the eleven-year-old girl. I have been photographing Avelina since 2024. A deep trust has grown between us, which here symbolizes peace.