OPENING RECPETION: 23 January 2015, Friday, 7 – 9pm
Silverlens Galleries is pleased to present Memento by Gregory Halili, a continuation of his December show in Manila.
Filipino-born artist, Gregory Halili, has spent 25 years in the United States before settling back in Manila to work in his studio within his homeland. Although he has spent most of his time in another country, antiquarian images and medieval themes have permeated his work which constitute a kind of longing not only to a distant past, but also to a reminisced heritage. This has paved way to delicate, small-scale artworks done in watercolor, gouache, and oil, applied to surfaces such as paper, vintage ivory, and mother-of-pearl shells that infuse the particulars of sacrosanctity found in the past and the immediacy of his once adopted home in New York. Encased in antique reliquaries, his miniature pieces have not only been celebrated for its intricate production, but also for the kind of intimacy it passes on—from the artist’s vision and own hands, to the viewer’s cautious and thoughtful glimpses and delicate hold of such refined objects.
These iridescent, self-encased figures are supported by pedestals that the artist himself designed. Although the size of these sculptures are relatively bigger than most of Halili’s past works, they still display the kind of intimacy and sacredness as his objects and paintings that are enshrined in reliquaries. The shells, at the same time, possess the kind of shape that can be held in the palm of our hands. And what about the skulls which are the shells of our humanity? Although not as endearing, they are the iridescent porcelains that riddle the dirt. In an astounding reversal of representation, Halili has turned the once grotesque symbol into an ornament as they are neatly embedded within the shell. Are they ominous figures or are they portraits of our union with nature? They could be both—life and death, beauty and decay—they become reminders of these fragile demarcations.
Gregory Halili’s show, Memento, will run from 16 January to 01 March 2015 at Silverlens Gillman Barracks, 47 Malan Road, #01-25 Gillman Barracks, Singapore 109444. Opening reception will be on 23 January, Friday, 7 – 9pm.
About the artist. Gregory Halili (b. 1975, Manila PH) received his B.F.A. from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, U.S.A. After 25 years of living in the U.S. he has returned to Manila to resettle and build a new studio. 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 Gallery in Makati City, and; Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York City.
About Silverlens (Manila and Singapore). Founded by Isa Lorenzo and Rachel Rillo in 2004, Silverlens has earned recognition from both artists and collectors as one of the leading contemporary art galleries in Southeast Asia. Through its exhibition program, artist representation, art fair participation and institutional collaboration, Silverlens aims to place its artists within the broader framework of international contemporary art dialogue.
