On Thursday 3 November 2022, the Grammy-nominated British composer, artist, and co-founder of production company Sisters Grimm, Ella Spira MBE, will launch her latest art project, ‘Global Landscapes Singapore’ at Art Now gallery, in the Raffles Hotel Arcade, unveiling her work as a visual artist. The exhibition will be opened to the public with no tickets required on the 4th and 5th of November.
The launch will open with an ‘In conversation with Ella Spira MBE” hosted by Alice Black, former director of The Design Museum London and founder of ArtULTRA. The invitation-only event will shed light on the process, influences, inspiration, and intention of Spira as a painter, giving context to the artworks created in Singapore.
Global Landscape Singapore celebrates the richness of life in and around the island through six individual paintings and a series of charcoals. Spira has been able to show a city that values natural resources and has kept nature as part of its urban landscape. From pockets of green punctuating the financial area of the city to the thriving marine trade, which has been part of its backdrop for centuries. Spira first came to Singapore for work in 2015, but she is painting the city for the first time this year.
The paintings are accompanied by photographs taken by Singaporean photographer Rebecca Toh and an evocative score composed by Spira. This score features Singaporean cellist Olivia Chuang and incorporates the sound of Rebecca’s camera click as well as the sound of Singapore thunderstorms, which has been recently released on Sisters Grimm’s Youtube channel.
Deeply influenced by her Jewish heritage and family history as a third generation Holocaust survivor, Ella has dedicated her life to celebrating and foregrounding underrepresented cultures. Her multidisciplinary approach regularly features innovative multicultural collaborations and is rooted in a conviction that the arts have a deep influence on society.
Collaboration is a central tenet of Ella Spira’s artistic work; her encounter with Toh led to an artistic meeting of minds: Toh was given an all access to Ella, to create an intimate portrait of her and bring home what it is to be an artist. The outcome of this collaboration is a series of intimate, closely shot photographs, in which Toh has captured the soul of her fellow artist.
They are not posed, but rather taken free flow, in the moment, which is Toh’s hallmark photography. Rebecca Toh’s portraits of Spira lift the veil of her innermost self to reveal the unadorned woman and her emotions, creating moments of true connection.
Rebecca Toh said, “I found working with Ella truly inspiring. The Inner Landscapes of Ella is an attempt to show her artistic freedom and fearlessness. Ella is fully invested in everything she does, ready to take risks, whatever the outcome may be.”
Alice Black said, “Ella Spira is really successful at creating a mood in her paintings, capturing a latent feeling. Her palette is sober, her brush work is calm and considered. Her paintings evoke, more than depict.”
Spira’s exhibitions showcase the range of her creative talents. She is someone who lives in a near constant state of ebullient creativity. Ideas fuse in her head and then she manages to channel them into music, images, live performances, and exhibitions. We know that today, people long for immersive experiences and Ella can deliver that all-encompassing approach.”
a. Raffles Hotel Arcade, 328 North Bridge Rd, #02-32, Singapore 188719
w. www.rafflesarcade.com.sg/arcade/www.artnow.sg
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