Gregory Halili

Gregory Halili paints small-scale, extraordinarily detailed works on unusual surfaces such as vintage ivory or seashells. Although he works in New Jersey, the Filipino-born artist constantly addresses issues of home and memory in his work. In his ivory compositions, Halili depicts saints and historical figures from throughout Filipino history on miniature objects like brooches. The work traffics the country’s many histories and cultural changes—not least of which is colonialism—into small pieces of personal jewelry, reducing the grand scale of history to a personal object of devotion. The artist’s visual style developed from his sustained study of 18th-century illuminations in libraries in the New York area and from Filipino cultural heritage, so that the art historical conventions referenced are filtered through a Filipino lens.