Institute of Contemporary Art Miami ICA Miami

Minia Biabiany’s Learning from The White Birds (2021) shares an intimate perspective on the landscapes of the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe and the Dominican Republic.

Layering images, sound, and written and spoken language, Biabiany’s work meditates on human beings’ relationship to natural environments and the possibility of building community with other species. Learning from The White Birds stars the kyo bird, a species common in subtropical climates, examining a group of the birds as they come together as a community through socialization and physical proximity. Images of flocks gliding over the Caribbean landscape are interwoven with images of banana tree trunks and stills of windows and doors that echo the same grid, drawing parallels between natural landscapes, constructed interiors, and the human body.