At least according to Ann Craven’s exhibit, “Hello, Hello, Hello,” at the Maccarone (the vowel “o” is long and the name is not pronounced at all like macaroon, which is also different from a macaron) in West Village, the bird is the word. There are two entrances: one at 630 Greenwich Street and the second at 98 Morton Street around the corner. The works in this space are simple, uncomplicated, and minimalistic.

The highlight of the exhibit is Craven’s fascination with birds and mimesis – two sets of triptychs, or three painting placed right next to each other, displaying the same African gray parrot, drawn in 2002 and 2004. A third triptych of the gray parrot, painted in 2013, is located on the opposite side of the building at the Morton Street side. That’s a lot of birds, and there are two more paintings of a yellow bird.

According to the show’s press release, the three triptychs inspired the title of the show. “Hello, Hello, Hello” imitates the three works being produced in a row, while also mimicking the parrot’s vocalizations.

The kind woman at the reception desk said that at an event, Craven compared her repetition of art to prayers; something people come back to, but is slightly different each time. According to Craven, “each painting is both a continuation of that which came before, and a response.”

The most interesting aspect of the triptychs is that, like pointillism, the portraits do not show its minute details from afar – the imperfections of the strokes are what make the paintings whole.

But can the birds actually say hello? How many times can one person say “Hello” before it gets awkward? Let’s ask Adele. Or Lionel Richie. Do not forget music is art, too.

“Hello, Hello, Hello” runs until March 5, 2016.

You can follow Michael Bong on Snapchat @mikeybong to see more of his art adventures.