Countless works of art - poems, songs, paintings, have been devoted to trees. We seem to find comfort in their largesse, and find beauty in the way their branches spread out, softening the sunlight that filters through or shielding us from harsh rains.

In Singaporean photographer Melisa Teo’s Les arbres de Paris (The Trees of Paris), she turns her camera towards the trunks and leaves native to the French capital. Through the lens of her camera, she seeks the spiritual link between man and nature, which, though the eye cannot see, the camera recognises and retains.

The exhibition, hosted at Alliance Française’ la galerie, was part of 2020’s vOilah! France Singapore Festival, scheduled to run from 5 November 2020 to 9 January 2021. Les Arbres de Paris was later extended till 11 February, as part of Singapore Art Week 2021. Since then, Melisa’s dreamy and otherworldly collection of images have captivated the more than 600 visitors that have visited the exhibition. Owing to its popularity, some of the works have been moved to the corridor running parallel to the gallery.

Her book, Les Arbres de Paris, has also generated much interest, both in Singapore and beyond. Sylvain Tesson, French writer and traveller, wrote the foreword to the book. He writes: “Melisa’s photographs reveal what the eye doesn’t even suspect. Trees radiate. They are crowned with radiation. They are enveloped by waves. One might call it diaphanous gossamer at times, or a pulsating veil; Melisa prefers ‘a vortex of energy'. Alain Baraton, author and Gardener-in-Chief of the Palace de Versailles, even recommended her book! On March 6 2021, during his radio show, La Main Verte, on major radio network, France Inter. You can check out the segment at the link here: http://bit.ly/3t9zdmS .

Continue scrolling to see some images of the works and the exhibit!