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Biography

Tony Chirinos received a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University in New York. Trained as a biomedical photographer in 1985 at Miami Children’s Hospital, in 1989 Chirinos created the medical photography department at Baptist Health Systems where he worked as its director until his departure in 2001. His work has been exhibited in New York, Bogotá, Pittsburg, and Miami. The artist is currently an assistant professor at Miami Dade College/Kendall Campus where he has been teaching photography since 2003. Chirinos also serves as advisor for the Miami Dade College Photo Club.

Artist Statement

This site-specific project depicts portraits of fighting cocks. You see a rooster with a dominant personality taking center stage in the world that surrounds him. Using my camera as an ambassador, I explore the tradition of cock fighting and socially integrate myself into this community.

I spent time watching cockfights before I began photographing them, to develop an understanding of the viewers’ perspective. This patience paid off as I began this project, both in relation to the environment and in my own increased appreciation of the subject matter. My presence with a camera has not been unwelcome; on the contrary, I feel accepted by all. The rich visual quality of the photographs is created through a technical innovation—a bracket with multiple flash heads that affects the visual struggle in what is an extremely confined space. These powerful portraits of fighting cocks evoke the horror of the spectacle, allowing it to be reproduced in the individual viewer.

My goal with this project is to produce images that respect the cultural tradition of cockfighting in San Andrés, Columbia, and at the same time, I am uncovering for myself the meaning of this subculture, a prominent feature of my Hispanic background.