Graciela Iturbide Mexican, b. 1942

Through her photographs, Iturbide captures flocks of birds, from motion or migration to close-up portraits of birds in trees, dead or alive. The birds are observed much as her human subjects are, without staging or posing. With this technique, Iturbide documents the seasonal movements as they occur naturally without her guidance. The natural and ritualistic acts of birds, guided by innate knowledge and instincts, are part of the perspective documented by Iturbide. Birds have long been used as a metaphor for messengers of the spirit, an association that comes naturally for a creature that exists so comfortably between earth and the heavens. From India to Mexico, Iturbide captures gulls, eagles, pigeons, chickens, and ravens that inhabit natural landscapes or invade urban ones. Iturbide’s bird images challenge temporal and spatial boundaries.