2008.10.13-114, 2008 by Anton Young

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines taxidermy as the art of preparing, stuffing and mounting the skins of animals and especially vertebrates, though the fact that "art" is included in its definition seems debatable to some groups.

In the First Edition 2011 round of the competition, we received quite a few submissions that, in one way or another, were related to the matter. In his series Menagerie, Contender Anton Young literally takes a close look at the deceased animals.

2008.08.28-075, 2008 by Anton Young

In his statement, Young writes:

This group is from the series Menagerie, which is a series of pictures of taxidermy. I'm a vegetarian and have been told (repeatedly) it's a strange subject to be obsessed with. I find taxidermy simultaneously beautiful, fascinating and a bit horrifying.

2008.07.03-447, 2008 by Anton Young

Young also submitted another, disparate body of work to us, titled Guest:

This group is from Guest, which is a series of pictures of places where I've spent the night. The series covers friends' houses, vacation rentals, hotel rooms, etc. Photographing the spaces is a little ritual; it's sort of a way of marking my territory before sleeping in a new place.

218-1869, by Anton Young

235-3562, by Anton Young

Anton Young grew up in Nashville, TN, but has been calling NYC home for over 20 years. He received his BFA in fine art photography from the School of Visual Arts in 1992, and is now a professional photo retoucher.

290-9002, by Anton Young