About the exhibition

French is one of the languages where the word “culture” is designated to both matters of the mind and of nature. This is evident in the dual love of Parisians for trees and gardens, as well as books. Just as trees need to be constantly cared for and tended to in order for them to grow in full glory, the human mind can unlock its full potential through constant learning. Indeed, trees resemble the mind as Voltaire famously wrote: “We must cultivate our garden”. 

By turning her camera towards the trunks and leaves of Paris, Singaporean photographer Melisa Teo looks for the spiritual link between man and nature. The camera recognises and retains what the eye doesn’t see – we can’t see the invisible, but we can photograph it. And by paying attention, we can learn from the most silent of beings living amongst us in this bustling capital.

About the artist

MELISA TEO is a Singaporean photographer who regards her camera as a “third eye” which is guided by intuition to perceive a reality that eludes the naked eye. For her, the camera is a transmitter and translator of light’s messages and photography, a doorway bordering visible and invisible worlds. Since 2008, she has been travelling through spiritual worlds in pursuit of the sacred. Her journeys have been documented in a number of books (Light From Within, The Light Beyond) and exhibitions (Dark Light, Eden). In recent years, her fascination with the relationship between man and nature has led her from shamans in the forests of Siberia to anonymous figures in the manicured gardens of her adoptive city – Paris. Melisa is a graduate from the National University of Singapore and worked in publishing before becoming a photographer.

         With the support of:

Practical information

Free entrance