Qui vivra verra, Qui mourra saura
2019 - Installation (Installation)
Dimensions variable
Minia Biabiany
Qui vivra verra, Qui mourra saura is an installation by Minia Biabiany composed of the plan of a house made out of strips of salt, and a “garden” made of ceramic pieces, hanging from the ceiling and on the floor, and non woven fabric. She uses blue and red filters to alter the hues of light coming from the outside. The work focuses on the disappearance of traditional knowledge associated with the “jardin de case” outside Guadeloupean houses. This type of garden is closely linked to the enslaved people of Guadeloupe, a manifestation of a coexistence between people and other species, and between the living and the dead. The garden surrounding the case is made out of successive “shells” of ornamental, medicinal or therapeutic plants that protect and heal its inhabitants, or embellish this private place sitting in plain view. The extendable basic unit of the case itself is a two-room structure, each room measuring approximately 9 × 18 feet, covered by a gable or hipped roof made of metal sheets. The larger sides have two doors, and the shorter sides one door. The house may be extended by connecting extra rooms to the French windows, which then become part of the inside of the building. The case thus forms a labyrinthine space evolving along with the needs of the family. Its structure denotes a concern for protection, visible through the carefully tidied surroundings and the presence of protective plants preventing acts of witchcraft from spirits or objects placed around the house. The colors of the exterior walls also refer to the diplomatic relations between the inhabitants and the spirits (benevolent or evil). Blue signifies maximal protection while red repels attacks and vibrates with power. Finally, according to its dominant color and the shape of its leaves, the same plant will have a different name depending on its location. Planted in front of the house, “Qui vivra verra” (“They who live shall see”) contributes to the inhabitants’ longevity; in the backyard, “Qui mourra saura” (“They who die shall know”) supports the passing of knowledge between generations. The organization of the jardin de case is a preeminent site for negotiation and mediation with the invisible world. While its shell structure remains visible today, its meaning has almost completely vanished.
Minia Biabiany’s practice is concerned with the past and ongoing effects of colonialism, exploring the poetics of resistance embedded in everyday life practices, and translating this research into the exhibition space through careful consideration of the cultural and spiritual implications of the material she uses, and the techniques she employs. She is interested in the specificities of the Caribbean and the complex cultural interactions that circulate in and around it. More recently, her work also approaches healing and sexuality and their potential for liberation in a feminist sense. In 2016, she initiated the pedagogical and artistic project Semillero Caribe [Caribbean Seedbed]: an experimental seminar based on exercises with the body and drawing engaging with concepts of Caribbean thinkers.
Colors:
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