Cell Project Space

The work of Ilana Halperin explores the relationship between geological phenomena and daily life. Whether boiling milk in a 100 degree Celsius sulfur spring in the crater of an active volcano or celebrating her birthday with a landmass of the same age, the geologic history and environmental situation specific to the locale directly informs the direction each piece takes. Recent projects take as a starting point a personal experience with an unexpected geological phenomenon. Increasingly interconnected events of a political, historical and everyday nature are progressively drawn together to form a narrative. Each story explores the changeable nature of landmass, using geology as a language to understand our relationship to a constantly evolving world.

Ilana Halperin (b. 1973, New York) lives and works in Glasgow. Upcoming projects include the solo exhibition ‘Physical Geology, a Field Guide to Body Mineralogy and Other New Landmass’ at the Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité, and fieldwork sessions to Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland to encounter new landmass formed in the recent eruption. Previous solo exhibitions include ‘Physical Geology (slow time)’ at Artists Space, New York; ‘Physical Geology (part one)’ at the Manchester Museum and ‘Nomadic Landmass’ at doggerfisher in Edinburgh. Group exhibitions include ‘Volcano’, Compton Verney, Warwickshire; ‘Estratos’ curated by Nicolas Bourriaud, PAC Murcia, Spain; ‘Polar Dispatches’, Portland Museum of Art, Portland, ME; the ‘Sharjah Biennial 8’ and ‘Experimental Geography’, ICI, currently touring.