Tyler Shields’ The Lion Queen (2019, Gelatin Silver Print) presents a mesmerizing tableau of beauty, danger, and control. In the composition, a woman in a billowing satin gown stands poised and fearless before a roaring lion. Her gesture—reaching out with effortless grace—suggests both command and connection, as though taming the raw force of the beast with elegance alone.

Rendered in striking black and white, the photograph heightens the theatricality of the encounter, emphasizing texture and contrast: the sheen of the fabric against the rough mane, the fragility of human skin against animal power. The stage-like setting, with straw scattered across the ground, evokes the atmosphere of both circus spectacle and mythic allegory.

The Lion Queen epitomizes Shields’ fascination with pushing the boundaries of glamour into realms of danger and surrealism. The work is as much about performance and fantasy as it is about power dynamics—transforming a moment of peril into an image of poise, authority, and cinematic drama.

Chromogenic print
15 x 20 inches