Biography of Peter Halley
Peter Halley (born 1953 in New York, USA) is a New York-based American abstract artist and writer. He was significantly influenced by Josef Albers' Interaction of Color, 1981 as a young artist in training, evidence of which is visible throughout his career. Influenced by Minimalism and Neo-conceptual Art, his bright geometric abstractions—described as "prisons" and "cells" by the artist—deal with the increasing geometrization of social space in contemporary society. Over time these abstractions became increasingly intricate. Vivid day-glow colors, such as vibrant pink and green, are his trademark, as is clear in his work, Assurgent Capacity, 2009-2010 which shows the ground plan of two prison cells.
Since the 1990s the artist has also produced site-specific installations. One of his most famous installations is the artwork Judgment Day, 2011 that was on display as part of the 54th Venice Biennale. Halley's silkscreen prints and paper works, which are produced in limited editions, present complex drafts and sketches of prison cells and impress with their wide range of colors and partly comic-like layout.
