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Biography



Ilana Halperin’s work explores the relationship between geology and daily life. By connecting personal events and human histories to deep geological time, she allows for a space to think about our place within a vast continuum from a more intimate perspective. To articulate a corporeal sense of geological time, Halperin forms sculptures using natural geological processes – from geothermal pools to high velocity calcifying springs. Her work deals with geological intimacy and vivacity, and the uncanny knowledge that something as inert and certain as stone was once liquid, airborne, alive. Her recent work moves between performance, sculpture, print, drawing, film and narrative. She has celebrated her birthday with a volcano born the same year, boiled milk in a sulphur spring, and held the Allende Meteorite, the oldest known object in the solar system, in her hands.



UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS


1 Sep - 1 Oct 2023 NADA House, Governors Island, New York (solo presentation)


SOLO EXHIBITIONS


2022 Chaos Terrain, University of St Andrews Museum, commission for the Boswell Collection


2022 My Conglomerate Family, Cairn Art Centre, Digne-les-bains


2021 There is a Volcano Behind My House, Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute


2020 Excerpts from the Library, Online Exhibition, Patricia Fleming, Glasgow


2019 Minerals of New York. Leeds Arts University, touring to The Hunterian, Glasgow


The Rock Cycle (Yamaguchi). Interlinked solo exhibitions curated by Naoko Mabon/Wagon. Akiyoshidai Natural History Museum/Akiyoshidai International Artist Village/Karstar Geopark Centre, Yamaguchi, Japan


2017 The Library of Earth Anatomy. Permanent Installation. The Exploratorium, San Francisco


Geologic Intimacy (Yu no Hana). Curated by Naoko Mabon/Wagon. Fujiya Gallery Hanayamomo, Beppu, Japan; Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen; Patricia Fleming Projects, Glasgow


2014 Learning to Read Rocks. Part of Generation. An Tobar/Comar, Isle of Mull


The Hall of Rocks and Minerals. Permanent Installation, new Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery


Autobiographical Trace Fossils. Patricia Fleming Projects, Glasgow


2013 The Library. National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh


Geologic Intimacy. Dundee Contemporary Arts Print Space, Dundee


2012 Steine. Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité, Berlin


Hand Held Lava. Schering Stiftung Project Space, Berlin


We Form Geology. Travelling Gallery, Scotland


2009 Physical Geology (slow time). Artists Space, New York


2008 Physical Geology (part one). Manchester Museum, Manchester


2007 Towards Heilprin Land. doggerfisher, Edinburgh


Infinite Orogeny with Adam Putnam. Studio Visconti, Milan


2005 Nomadic Landmass. doggerfisher, Edinburgh


2004 Dromocroma. Autori Cambi, Rome


2001 The Difficulty of Falling in Love During an Earthquake. Tramway, Glasgow


1999 Geologic Intimacy. Switchspace, Glasgow


SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND COMMISSIONS


2023 Hollow Earth: Art, Caves & The Subterranean Imaginary, Hayward Gallery, London

2022 The New Materialism in Current Art, Museum unter Tage, Bochum 


2022 The Rock Cycle, Pier Arts Centre, Orkney


2021 Crystal Clear, Curated by Elena Sorokina, Pera Museum, Istanbul


2018 Cosmogonies. Group show curated by Hélène Guenin. MAMAC, Museum of Contemporary Art, Nice


2017/18 4.543 billion:The Matter of Matter. Group Show curated by Latitudes. CAPC Museum, Bordeaux


Flint Magazine. Group exhibition and book launch. Art Metropole, Toronto and touring


Être pierre. Group Show curated by Jessica Castex and Noëlle Chabert. Musée Zadkine, Paris


This Rare Earth. Group Show curated by Karen Verschooren & Ils Huygens. STUK, Leuven


Between Tides and Poles: New Acquisitions from the Uni. of Edinburgh Art Collection. Talbot Rice Gallery


Summa. Group Show curated by Colin Greenslade. Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh


The World Made New. Group Show curated by Oliver Sumner. Pi Artworks, London


2016 The Forces Behind the Forms. Group Show. Curated by Magdalena Holzhey. Galerie im Taxispalais, Austria; Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Germany and Kunstmuseum Thun, Switzerland


Ripples on the Pond. Group Show. Curated by Katie Bruce. Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow


2015 Cristallisations. Group Show. Curated by Centre Pompidou Metz. Musée du Cristal Saint-Louis


2014 Allegory of the Cave Painting. Group Show. Curated by Mihnea Mircan. Extra City, Antwerp


2013 Piroerotomachia. 8. Biennale Fotografii. Curated by Krzysztof Gutfrański, Galeria Miejska Arsenal, Poznan


Objective / Subjective. Group Show. Curated by Peter Olson. NIU Art Museum, Dekalb


2012 Etendue Muette. Group Show. Maison des Arts de Grand Quevilly, France


2011   Experimental Station. Group show. Curated by Virginia Torrente & Andrés Mengs. CA2M, Madrid


We Make Versions. Group Show. Westfälischer Kunstverein, Münster

Industrial Aesthetics:Recent Art from Scotland. Group Show. Hunter Gallery, New York


Just Photography. Group Show. Curated by Bruce Haines. Martos Gallery, New York


2010 Volcano. Group show. Curated by James Hamilton. Compton Verney, Warwickshire


Experimental Geography. Group show. Curated by Nato Thompson. The James Gallery, Graduate Center CUNY, New York (touring exhibition from 2008 - 2011)


Artist Commission. New Barts Cancer Centre. Vital Arts. Barts Hospital, London.


This Matter. Group Show. The Royal Standard, Liverpool


2009 Running Time:Artist Films in Scotland. Group Show. Dean Gallery, Edinburgh


An Entangled Bank. Group Show. Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh


Portscapes. Public Art Commission. Curated by Latitudes. SKOR, Rotterdam


Timecode, Group show inaugurating 10th anniversary of DCA. Curated by Judith Winter and Graham Domke. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee

Polar Dispatches. Group show. Portland Museum of Art, ME.


The Audio Show. Group Show. Curated by Seth Kelly. Friedrich Petzel Gallery, New York


2008 Estratos, PAC Murcia 2008. Curated by Nicolas Bourriaud. Murcia, Spain


Conspire. Curated by Natasa Petresin-Bachalez. House of World Cultures, Berlin


The Fleeting. Taigh Chearsabhagh Art Centre, North Uist


Art Forms From The Ocean. Group Show. National Glass Centre, Sunderland


New Scots. Group Show. Curated by Sandy Moffat. Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh


2007 Still Life: Art, Ecology and the Politics of Change. Sharjah Biennial 8. Sharjah, U.A.E.


Enlightenment; Collecting for the Future. Group Show. Hunterian Art Museum, Glasgow


It Starts From Here. Group Show. De la Warr Pavilion, Bexhill on Sea


2006 Drawing Links. Group show. The Drawing Room, London and touring

How I Finally Accepted Fate. Group Show. Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, New York


Where the Wild Things Are. Group show. Curated by Anne Marie Watson. Dundee Contemporary Arts


Annotations (bronnen), Public Holiday Projects. Group Show. Expodium, Utrecht


Our House is a House that Moves. Curated by Natasa Petresin. Living Art Museum, Reykjavik


2005 Art/Sci Research Residency. New performances commissioned. Camden Art Centre, London


Contemporary Collection. Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow


2003 Re-Launch. Market, Glasgow


2002 Art and Mountains. Curated by Bruce Haines and Paul Claydon. Alpine Club, London


Into the Abyss. Two person show with Adam Putnam, The Kettilhouse, Akureyri, Iceland


2001 Two person show with Sally Osborn. doggerfisher, Edinburgh


2000 New Contemporaries 2000. Group show. Inverleith House and touring


A Day Like Any Other. Curated by Francis Mckee. Stavanger Kulturhus, Norway


AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES


2019 Project Funding for The Rock Cycle (Yamaguchi), Yamaguchi University, Japan


2018 Creative Scotland Open Project Funding


Hope Scott Trust Artist Grant


AIAV International Fellowship. Yamaguchi, Japan


2015/17 Artist-in-Residence. The Exploratorium, San Francisco


2016 Shortlisted to represent Scotland in Venice Biennale. Curated by Atlas Arts, Isle of Skye


Elephant Trust Grant for Geologic Intimacy (Yu no Hana) curated by Naoko Mabon. Aberdeen


2015 Royal Scottish Academy Artist Residency 2015. Cromarty


2014 Platform05 Research Residency. Beppu Projects. Beppu, Japan


Creative Scotland International Research Grant


Atlas Arts Micro-Residency. The Bothy Project. Isle of Eigg


2012/13 Glenfiddich 2013 Spirit of Scotland Award Finalist in Art


Inaugural Artist Fellow. National Museum Scotland, Edinburgh


Cove Park One-to-One Residency. Cove Park, Scotland


Nominated for an Arts Foundation Fellowship in Printmaking


2011/12 Schering Stiftung. Major foundation support for Physical Geology Project. Berlin


Creative Scotland Visual Artist Project Support


2010 New York Council for the Humanities Grant with Triple Canopy


Creative Scotland Visual Artist Development Bursary


2008/09 British Council Darwin Now Award


Scottish Arts Council Visual Artist Award


Research Commission. Storey Gallery. Lancaster


2007 Esmee Fairbairn Residency. Cove Park. Scotland


2006/08 Alchemy Fellowship. Manchester Museum. Manchester


2006/07 Scottish Arts Council Artist Grant


Hope Scott Trust Artist Grant


Artist-in-Residence. Oceanwide Expeditions/Tiffin Projects. Greenland


2005  Art/Science Research Residency. Camden Arts Centre. London


2004 Artist-in-Residence. Skaftfell Cultural Center. Seydisfjorder, Iceland


2002 Network North Residency. NIFCA. Lapland and the Barents Region


2001 Cell Culture Science/Art Residency. Arteleku, San Sebastian


Darklights Commission Award. Tramway. Glasgow


2000 Finalist. Archibald-Campbell and Harley WS Photography Award. Stills. Edinburgh


1999 Artist in Residence. The Gilsociety. Akureyri, Iceland


Postgraduate Scholarship Award. Glasgow School of Art


PERFORMATIVE LECTURES


2018 Minerals of New York. Glasgow Film Theatre/Lux Scotland as part of C.T.L. Programme


Geologic Intimacy/Physical Geology. Geologics Symposium. Brown University, Rhode Island


2016/17 Felt Events. Performance with Raymond MacDonald, The Necks & BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Tectonics Festival, Glasgow; Glasgow International and An Tobar/Isle of Staffa as part of Generation


2015  Felt Events. Performative Lecture. Leeds Museum/Pavilion, Leeds; Kunstmuseum Thun, Switzerland


Conversations about Landscape with Jason Groves. The Exploratorium, San Francisco


2014  Physical Geology (a Field Guide). Regarding Dynamic Processes. Hull School of Art


Learning to Read Rocks. Feeling the Anthropocene Symposium. University of Edinburgh


2012  Autobiographical Trace Fossils. The Cultural Life of Caves Symposium. Pera Museum, Istanbul


2011 Hand Held Lava. Commissioned performance with Andrew Patrizio & Karen Holmberg. Triple Canopy. Turner Contemporary, Cell Project Space, Schering Stiftung, Atlas Arts and CCA Glasgow


2010 At What Moment Does Limestone Become Marble. Performance at frozen waterfall. Bard CCS, NY


2009 Physical Geology. Terra Mobilis: Fire and Ice Colloquium. Brown University, Providence


Physical Geology (Part One). Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee

A Brief History of Mobile Landmass. Future Land. Port of Rotterdam/SKOR


2007/8 Towards Heilprin Land. Commissioned by Tiffin Projects. The Hunterian Museum; Cendeac Murcia


Geologic Intimacy. Species of Origin Roundtable. Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh


2005/6 Ruins in Reverse (Nomadic Landmass). Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria; Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art; Manchester Museum; Camden Arts Centre and touring.


Emergent Landmass. Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts; Camden Arts Centre


2003/4 Integrating Catastrophe. Southern Yangtze University, Wuxi; China Academy of Art. Hangzhou,


Geologic Intimacy. Wednesday Open Series, Glasgow School of Art


2000/2 The Pursuit of Flora & Other Environmental Anecdotes. ISFLS, Aarhus; Arteleku, Donostia; Tramway, Glasgow


2001 Nomadic Landmass. CCA/Hunterian Museum, Glasgow


1999 Intimate Three Part Fractions. Performance with AJ McCaffrey. CCA, Glasgow


SELECTED PUBLICATIONS


Minerals of New York. Limited edition Artist Publication. Flint Magazine. Detroit 2018


Cosmogonies. Edited by Hélène Guenin. MAMAC. Nice 2018

Être Pierre. Musée Zadkine. Paris 2018


Geologic Intimacy Yu no Hana. Artist Publication. Graphical House. Glasgow 2017


Geology & Literature. Edited by Jason Groves. Literatur für Leser 16/1, Frankfurt 2017


Salon : No. 4. Edited by Gerhard Theewen. SALON VERLAG & EDITION. Cologne. April 2017


The Forces Behind the Forms. Kunstmuseen Krefeld and partner venues. Krefeld 2016


Drawing Ambiguity: Beside the Lines of Contemporary Art. I.B.Tauris. London 2015


Art in the Anthropocene. Edited by Heather Davis&Etienne Turpin. Open Humanities Press. Ann Arbor 2015


Generation: 25 Years of Contemporary Art in Scotland. National Galleries of Scotland. Edinburgh 2014


Earth Works! Format P #7. Edited by Sebastian Cichocki and Krzysztof Gutfrański. Warsaw 2013


Making the Geologic Now. Edited by Elizabeth Ellsworth & Jamie Kruse. Punctum Books. NY 2012


New Landmass. Edited by Sara Barnes & Andrew Patrizio. With texts by Dame Gillian Beer, Horst Bredekamp, Thomas Schnalke and Hugh Tuffen. Schering Stiftung. Berlin 2012


Volcano. Edited by James Hamilton. Reaktion Books. London 2011

Experimental Station. Edited by Virginia Torrente and Andre Mengs. CA2M Madrid 2011


Physical Geology. Edited by Barnes & Patrizio. Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité. 2010


In Conversation, Spring Exhibitions. Artists Space. New York 2009


Portscapes. Edited by Latitudes. SKOR. Rotterdam 2009


Experimental Geography. Edited by Nato Thompson. ICI. New York 2008


Estratos. Edited by Nicolas Bourriaud. Pac Murcia. Spain 2008


Sharjah Biennial 8 Catalogue. U.A.E. 2007


Drawing Links. Text by Andrew Patrizio. Drawing Room. London 2006


Nomadic Landmass. Text by Mungo Campbell. File Note. Camden Arts Centre 2005


Ruins in Reverse. Edited by Adam Putnam. Whitney Museum at Altria. New York 2005


Ruins in Reverse (Nomadic Landmass). doggerfisher. Edinburgh 2005

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