Artist Statement
Philippe Halaburda · Psychogeographical Mapping · 2026
Practice & Method
My artistic practice is rooted in the exploration of psychogeography and emotional mapping, using abstraction as a language to chart the invisible landscapes of human experience.
I create intuitive yet structured visual systems that reinterpret how we perceive and internalize the spaces around us — both physical and psychological.
Originally from France and now based in New York, my work has evolved from figurative forms to an entirely abstract vocabulary that merges geometry, codes, and raw emotion.
Each piece is a map, not of territory, but of memory, affect, and inner geography.
I draw inspiration from the rhythm of cities, the data of everyday life, and the ephemeral traces of personal experience.
Materials
I work with acrylics, tape, yarn, pencils, paper, and found objects.
These layers function like strata in a landscape, each one holding meaning, tension, or release.
I use grids and networks as compositional frameworks, often disrupting them with expressive gestures or unexpected forms.
This interplay between control and intuition mirrors the tension between structure and chaos in both cities and ourselves.
Influences
My influences include Bauhaus functionalism, Constructivist order, and the conceptual strategies of postmodernism, especially those that challenge traditional representation.
But my practice is also deeply personal, informed by my own emotional states and a desire to document the unseen forces that shape us.
Intent & Viewer Experience
I am particularly interested in how abstraction can be a tool for both rational analysis and emotional resonance.
The works are designed to engage the viewer in decoding, inviting them to discover meaning in patterns, rhythms, and spatial tension.
They are not puzzles to solve but emotional cartographies to navigate.
Themes
My recent work examines themes of dislocation, belonging, digital versus physical identity, and the fragmented nature of contemporary life.
Whether through canvas, installations, or works on paper, I aim to foster a deeper understanding of the interplay between the self and the environment, to visualize the invisible.
I believe in abstraction's capacity to act as a mirror: revealing not what we see, but how we feel and navigate the ever-changing emotional terrain of modern life.
Exhibitions
I have exhibited in solo and group shows in the United States and Europe, including New York, Santa Fe, Paris, and Basel.
My studio practice continues to evolve, expanding into installation, digital experiments, and conceptual frameworks that push beyond traditional painting.
Philippe Halaburda
Newburgh, NY, USA · 2026
Theoretical References
The following works inform the conceptual and philosophical foundations of this practice:
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Bruno Latour — We Have Never Been Modern
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Philippe Descola — Beyond Nature and Culture
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Gaston Bachelard — The Poetics of Space
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Guy Debord — Theory of the Dérive
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Anne Dufourmantelle — In Praise of Risk
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Wassily Kandinsky — The Art of Spiritual Harmony
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El Lissitzky — The Experience of Totality
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Santiago Ramón y Cajal — The Beautiful Brain
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Carlo Rovelli — The Order of Time
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J. L. Borges — On Exactitude in Science