Gili Rappaport
- Interdisciplinary 2026
Gili Rappaport is an artist, writer, and naturalist whose interdisciplinary practice explores the vital intersections of embodiment and ecology.
Raised between the so-called Hudson and Delaware Rivers, Gili’s work is deeply rooted in listening and cultivating reciprocal, collaborative relationships between people and place.
At the heart of Gili’s practice is a return to “the maternal source,” a commitment to re-establishing the bonds that unite the individual with the universe. Their work counters a culture of dissociation by illuminating moments where we can reinhabit our bodies and find grounding in community and nature. As a naturalist, Gili looks to the Earth as a grounding force that carries the resilience of past generations while opening new pathways for collective solidarity.
Gili’s research is informed by ongoing apprenticeship with naturalist Laura Chávez Silverman and builds on a movement background that includes modern dance, improvisation, and new opera lineages (Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, Yvonne Rainer, Meredith Monk). Ongoing studies in craniosacral therapy, herbalism, and permaculture design further expand this research.
Gili received an MFA in Contemporary Art Practice from Portland State University (’24) and has exhibited at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Printed Matter, and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. They have performed in Sam Hamilton’s Te Moana Meridien Opera (PICA TBA Festival) and Pakui Hardware’s Spores (Performa Biennial). Their publications include They Call Me The Mayor at Riis Beach (Anthology Editions), Field Guide to the Northeast (The Outside Institute), and I See What You See (KSMoCA). Gili is also the founder and artistic director of green flash projects, a press devoted to artistry in natural places.
At the heart of Gili’s practice is a return to “the maternal source,” a commitment to re-establishing the bonds that unite the individual with the universe. Their work counters a culture of dissociation by illuminating moments where we can reinhabit our bodies and find grounding in community and nature. As a naturalist, Gili looks to the Earth as a grounding force that carries the resilience of past generations while opening new pathways for collective solidarity.
Gili’s research is informed by ongoing apprenticeship with naturalist Laura Chávez Silverman and builds on a movement background that includes modern dance, improvisation, and new opera lineages (Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, Yvonne Rainer, Meredith Monk). Ongoing studies in craniosacral therapy, herbalism, and permaculture design further expand this research.
Gili received an MFA in Contemporary Art Practice from Portland State University (’24) and has exhibited at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Printed Matter, and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. They have performed in Sam Hamilton’s Te Moana Meridien Opera (PICA TBA Festival) and Pakui Hardware’s Spores (Performa Biennial). Their publications include They Call Me The Mayor at Riis Beach (Anthology Editions), Field Guide to the Northeast (The Outside Institute), and I See What You See (KSMoCA). Gili is also the founder and artistic director of green flash projects, a press devoted to artistry in natural places.