Ilana Halperin: What Is Us And What Is Earth art review – Geology of memory
Spanning over two decades of work, the artist's latest exhibition compresses millions of years of geological history into an intimate meditation on memory
Between 1999 and 2025, Ilana Halperin sought to recreate complex geological formations and put into perspective the almost unimaginable march of time that makes them possible. In short, cut millions of years down to a single, comprehensive vision that fits into a modern time frame: a short walk around the Fruitmarket gallery, for instance.
The first images in this exhibition display the relationship between nature and humanity. An analogue camera reminds us of the lens, as rock formations are interrupted by spliced numbers and boiling milk is heated by geothermal springs. Reflections of Halperin’s own life are tracked next to the endless view of geological time. Her birth is marked alongside an eruption of Icelandic volcano Eldfell, reflecting its age in relation to a human perspective. The found minerals of New York streets appear in charts, while visions of future geological events are predicted. Stunning, vibrant watercolour portraits of Halperin as a lava bomb and minerals named ‘Harry’ and ‘Elaine’ give a beautifully illustrated persona to objects that are both otherworldly and natural.
But what really takes us away from the present are the letters Halperin writes. Next to moments of her domestic life and family, we find stories of the mountains and those who have relationships with the long processes of rocks, living, dying, loving and moving, akin to the formations of our collective history. While the first impression of this exhibition appears minimalist and quickly traversed, it is well worth getting pulled into the minutiae of ancient stories within.
Ilana Halperin: What Is Us And What Is Earth, Fruitmarket, Edinburgh, until Sunday 17 May.