Novilee Magpali (b. 2001) is a Filipino mixed-media artist, storyteller, and ___ enthusiast based in Richmond, VA. In 2023, they graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Craft/Material Studies. Magpali creates expressive sculpture, furniture, and installations that challenge boundaries between materiality, form, and function. Their practice explores the visual and structural parallels between the human body and the natural world, revealing their shared rhythms and interconnectedness. 

“I am a mosaic of everyone I've ever met. The people in my life are central to my work, and I often draw inspiration from memories of my childhood, my Filipino heritage and relationships to those around me. Creating work that embodies these influences is a way for me to honor the connections to my past and those who have made me who I am.

Through ceramic and paper processes I explore these ideas in both sculptural and semi-functional art objects. Ceramic work and printmaking is labor intensive and I view that labor as an act of love and care - it’s a reflection of the love and care that has been shown to me by others in my life, and making this work it is an outward expression of the gratitude, longing, and connection I feel.

My ceramic vessels, sculptures, and art objects embody these themes - they are colorful and playful yet genuine and earnest, functioning purposefully with heartfelt sentiment. My work is both inspired by people in my life, and made with those others in mind - I consider use, functionality and the way that the work will interact with a body, or make a viewer/user feel. The way the work makes another person feel is very important to me and it is always my intention that the work brings joy to others, as others have brought such joy to me."