Kazakhstan-born, Singaporean artist looks at nature through the eyes of mythology and poetry. Bamboos, rustic benches, butterflies, and water lilies… you won’t be able to see them the same way again.

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 6 March 2023 - Griness presents Inessa Kalabekova's solo exhibition in Singapore, called "Nature of Art," from March 1 to March 31, 2023. Here the artist explores the sights and secret corners of Singapore's parks and gardens, through the medium of painting and collage. Each painting is in a dialogue with the poems of Alice Kalabekova, Inessa's young daughter, a burgeoning writer in her own's right. A book, specially published for the exhibition, will comprise both the artworks and the poems, as well as sketches and photographs. The eighteen paintings on show have been originally exhibited in the form of prints. They were shown within the original context that inspired them, namely Singapore's Botanic Garden, in July last year. This is the first time the original artworks - plus some newest, previously unseen paintings - will be presented to a Singaporean public in a gallery setting. In the show Inessa looks at the peculiar Singaporean natural context with child-like eyes, operating a magic spell of sorts. Bamboo, banana trees, butterflies, leaves, birds, flowers, and water lilies are not just decorative elements, or a backdrop to a peaceful walk. For her, they are animated entities, and each bush or branch can be the hiding place of a mythological creature. Legends are indeed at the very center of Inessa's imaginary dimension. Her representations draw from both Eastern and Western traditions, ultimately converging into personal mythologies. An example is the figure of the dragon; while this is usually represented as an evil creature in Western culture, it is a rather positive one in Chinese myths. In her ouvre Inessa creates her own interpretation of the dragon, which encompasses both positive and negative elements. Of course, viewers themselves can give their interpretation of the dragon, according to their own background. The artist says that making art is a way for her to record and express her emotional journey between her internal self and the nature of life. When Inessa tackles a new canvas, she doesn't just make a decorative piece, but rather creates a whole, complete world to share with others. The inspiration from the paintings came to the artist as much from a direct appreciation of nature and ancient legends, as from the delicate and poignant poem written by her daughter. Involving Alice in the creative process came naturally to Inessa; her entire family is a participant in her world of art and imagination. Mother and daughter spend a lot of time together, and love to create stories about their adventures in nature. They let each their individual gaze on their surroundings influence each other, and together they are able to transform the most mundane aspects into moments of beauty and wonder. It's really a process of co-creation, where the pure stare of the young girl meets the trained – but just as sincere and spontaneous – eye of the professional artist. It's not a coincidence that in Inessa's work, childhood memories are often recurring, and the past imagination merges with the present. In the context of Singapore, this process and compassionate gaze takes up even more meaning. We know that what we call nature (forest, the shores, vegetation) has been artificially modified in Singapore since the '70s, when the government started presenting Singapore as a "Garden City", later to be rebranded as "City in a Garden". The whole City in the Garden project has been about recreating a natural environment with a strong artificial element akin to urban planning. So what we have today in Singapore is that nature - in order to simply exist - needs to be either decorative or efficient. In this context, Inessa's work creates a special enchantment; she is able to find the beauty in the efficient, transmuting something grown and modified to be practical and transactional, into a place of beauty, possibility, and storytelling. The artist was born in the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan, part of the former USSR....