Gili Rappaport is an artist, writer, and naturalist whose interdisciplinary practice explores the vital intersections of embodiment and ecology. Raised between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers (Lenapehoking), Gili’s work is rooted in listening and cultivating reciprocal relationships between people and place.
At the heart of Gili's practice is a commitment to re-establishing the bonds between the self and the universe, a process they describe as a return to ‘the maternal source’. Their work counters a culture of dissociation by illuminating moments where we can re-inhabit our bodies and find grounding in community and nature. As a naturalist, Gili looks to the Earth as a resilient force that informs collective solidarity and land care.
Gili’s research is informed by ongoing apprenticeship with naturalist Laura Chávez Silverman and draws from a diverse movement background, including modern dance, improvisation, and new opera lineages, alongside ongoing studies in craniosacral therapy, herbalism, and permaculture design.
Gili holds an MFA in Contemporary Art Practice from Portland State University (’24) and has exhibited and performed at institutions such as the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Performa Biennial, The Kitchen, and PICA (Portland Institute for Contemporary Art). 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). Their work has been highlighted in Elephant Magazine, Willamette Week, and The New York Times. Printed Matter, King School Museum of Contemporary Art (KSMoCA), PSU Special Collections and University Archives, and The CLAGS Research Archive (CUNY Graduate Center) hold their work in public collections. Their work has recently been supported by RACC (Regional Arts & Culture Council) and Ford Family Foundation (Golden Spot Residency for Oregon Visual Artists), and they have collaborated with National Parks Service and Portland Parks & Rec. Gili has been artist-in-residence at AZ-West / High Desert Test Sites and will be in residence at Sitka Center For Art & Ecology, and The Strange Foundation in 2026. Gili is Lead Instructor for the Inaugural Amber Hollibaugh Seminar in the City, co-sponsored by CLAGS: The Center of LGBTQ Studies at CUNY and the Barnard Center for Research on Women (2025 + 2026). Gili is also the founder and artistic director of green flash projects, a press devoted to artistry in natural places.
Guided by the patterns of ecosystems and interspecies relationality, Gili maintains a parallel practice as a design researcher and strategist. This focus on qualitative research and systems visioning informs their approach to socially engaged art, community building, and materializing living systems. Explore the research and strategy archive here.
Portrait by Jon Garcia, 2025.
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