Gregory Halili
Bio
Gregory Halili (b. 1975, Manila, Philippines; lives and works in Manila) is an artist specializing in the intricate art of miniatures. He meticulously carves and paints mother-of-pearl shells, creating memento moris that capture contemporary concepts of memory, life, death, and cycles. Recently, he has broadened his practice to include miniature oil paintings. Transforming capiz shells into canvases, he delicately presses them to their most fragile state, nearly reaching the point of breaking. These thinned-down, glass- like pieces, featuring paintings of butterflies and moths on the reverse, offer a reflection on the intricate and fragile state of the environment and the future. After 25 years in the United States, he returned to the Philippines in 2013.
His work has appeared in numerous exhibitions and shows, including the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin; The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio; The Hammond Museum and Sculpture Garden in Salem, New York; Ayala Museum in Makati City; Jorge B. Vargas Museum at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City; West Gallery in Quezon City; Silverlens in Makati City and Nancy Hoffman gallery in New York. In 2016, Halili presented at the Singapore Biennale. Halili received his B.F.A. from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Selected Works
Selected Works
Selected Exhibitions
Selected Press
- Anatomical Details Emerge From Found Coral and Shells in Gregory Halili’s Intricate Sculptures
- What Gregory Halili learned from painting skulls on shells
- Maker’s Musings: Artist Gregory Halili on fatherhood and creativity
- Q&A with Greg Halili: ‘Creation is a form of mental exercise that keeps me happy, sane’
- Seeing artist Gregory Halili through his collection of eyes
- Artist Gregory Halili Creates Miniature Art Using Ivory and Mother of Pearl
- Re-Examining Postcolonial Asia Through the Works of 5 Artists in the Singapore Biennale 2016
- Pinoy artists impress in Singapore Biennale
- gregory raymond halili carves skulls into mother-of-pearl shells
- Human Skeletons Assembled with Found Coral by Gregory Halili
- Mother of Pearl Shell Skull Carvings by Gregory Halili