Halo Nevus
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