For the 16th edition of Art Dubai, Silverlens will be presenting Vanishing by Gregory Halili, a collection of new miniature paintings on capiz shells, at the fair’s Bawwaba section. Miniatures are a type of secular art with a long-standing history in the Middle East as an important element of decoration often used in medieval manuscripts.

In the Philippines, the popularity of capiz shells can be traced back to the 1860 edition of Vocabolario de la lengua tagala, the first dictionary of the Tagalog language. Within it, the entry for capiz reads la ventana or window as the shells are cut and processed until light is able to filter through. In this series of miniature oil paintings, Halili pushes the material to its most fragile state, almost to the point of breaking. These capiz shells are thinned down until they are glass-like, which allows for the paintings of the butterflies and moths on the reverse to be seen on the other side. On the front, delicate white veils are etched and painted with utmost precision. Some veils are painted slightly parted to symbolize the slow and inevitable disappearance of the species.

Halili began this body of oil-on-capiz works with his memories of the Mariposa, a butterfly species endemic to the Philippines that he had frequently seen before migrating to the US. Upon the artist’s return home, he had learned that the species had become endangered. 

“I’ve always been interested in nature and its relationship with humanity. These miniature paintings for Art Dubai tackle such issues. What at first may look like simple, beautiful works of butterflies and moths are actually a commentary on the complex, fragile state of the environment and the unpredictable future,” says Halili.

– Jess Alba

Gregory Halili (b. 1975, Manila, Philippines; lives and works in Manila) carves and paints mother-of-pearl shells, creating memento moris. Halili received his B.F.A. from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He returned to the Philippines in 2013 after 25 years in the United States. Halili’s work focuses on the art of miniatures with an interest in the notion and idea of memory, life, death, and cycle. 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 City. In 2016, Halili was one of the Filipino artists who presented at the Singapore Biennale.