Philippe Halaburda
1972
(USA)
FRENCH
Philippe Halaburda is a French artist who has coined the term Geographic Abstraction to describe his work. Through his use of color and lines, Halaburda creates sharp imaginary landscapes that visualize the interconnectedness of humans and their environments. He currently lives and works in New York City.
Education
At the age of 17, Halaburda suffered a serious rugby injury which ended a promising athletic career. While recuperating, he began to draw and discovered his passion for art. In 1993, he received his BA in Literature and two years later, Halaburda completed his MFA with the Academy of Graphic Design and Visual Arts at EDTA Sornas, Paris. He has won several French art fair awards and has to date participated in four artistic residencies in New York, Brazil, the Arctic Circle, and Bulgaria.
Technique
Early in his career, Halaburda explored figurative art but later became increasingly interested in abstraction. He has since created a distinctive visual style composed of lines which mingle and collide to build complex, colorful grids. While a prolific painter, Halaburda uses a wide range of materials including skateboards, photography, and plexiglass. He frequently works from his studio floor, setting canvases on the ground and building up layers of paint like a topographical map. He experiments with unique tools, employing tape and even replacing paintbrushes with spatulas to achieve sharp lines. Halaburda has said that he tries to infuse his work with spontaneity and often works on several paintings simultaneously.
Inspiration
Since moving to New York City in 2016, Halaburda’s work has been influenced by the city’s linear urban environment. He describes his current work as geographic abstraction or psychogeographic mapping, and sees his designs as translating human and non-human interactions and emotions into colorful, imagined landscapes. His work evokes the geometric constructions of Russian avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich, and Halaburda has cited Piet Mondrian as an influence on his use of color.
Artist Statement
On his website, Philippe Halaburda writes: “Based on feelings or memories, my work process delves into the complex undercurrents of intimate and collective interactions. The blurry boundary between perception and experience always inspired me: I am interested in the randomness of emotion through art by imaging abstract visuals based on the subconscious. Exploring forms and lines in my map compositions, I form disaggregated grids and imaginary topographies exploring social tensions and relationships, instead of addresses and landmarks.”
Collections
His works are held in numerous public and private collections and he has been represented by galleries in New York and France including the Art Mora Gallery, New York and Galerie Sonia Monti, Paris.
Exhibitions
Halaburda had his first exhibition in Paris in 1996 and he has since shown around the world including Studio N2, France; Peyton Wright Gallery, New Mexico; Van de Goudenberg Art Gallery, Basel, Switzerland; and Chashama Gallery, New York. In 2019, Halaburda published his first art book entitled ‘Spatial representation of emotion’ about his work in New York since 2016. Halaburda also offers commissions and public window tape art, including a recent display for the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Jersey City, NJ in 2020.
