Melisa Teo

Melisa Teo
Teo in Paris in 2019
Born	(1975-02-05)5 February 1975 Singapore
Education	National University of Singapore Sorbonne University
Occupation	Photographer
Spouse	Abbas Attar ​ (m. 2018)​
Website	www.melisateo.com

Melisa Teo (born 5 February 1975) is a Singaporean photographer living and working in Paris. For many years, she focused her camera on religious subjects but nature is now the central theme of her photography.

Career

From 2008 to 2011,Teo documented her journey through the worlds of Buddhism, Hinduism and Santeria in Asia and Latin America, attempting to understand spirituality and the role of the divine through religion and faith.

The result was contrasted with the photographs of the late Franco-Iranian photographer Abbas ^[1] in a work called Dark Light. It was also published in a book called Light From Within (Canvas, Singapore 2012)/ Lumière Surgie de l'Intérieur (Les Éditions du Pacifique, Paris, 2012). ^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [ non-primary source needed ][ better source needed ]}

In 2013, Teo participated in 7 Days in Myanmar, a book and multi-media project involving 30 photographers, each documenting a different region of Myanmar over the same seven days. ^{[6] [7] [ better source needed ]}

From 2014 to 2016, she travelled from Vietnam to Laos, Taiwan to Israel, Morocco to France shifting her focus from searching for spirituality in religious rites and rituals to finding it in everyday life, resulting in the work The Light Beyond. ^{[8] [9] [10] [ non-primary source needed ] [11] [12] [ non-primary source needed ]} In the same year, with the project Eden, ^{[13] [14]} Teo turned to nature as the central theme of her work.

From 2018 to 2019, she photographed the trees of Paris, focusing on man's intuitive rapport with nature. This work is published in Les Arbres de Paris/The Trees of Paris ^{[15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]} (Les Éditions du Pacifique, Paris, 2020), with foreword by the French author Sylvain Tesson. ^{[24] [25] [26] [ citation needed ]} Teo also manages Fonds Abbas Photos which protects, preserves and promotes the oeuvre and heritage of the Magnum photographer Abbas, who passed away in 2018. ^{[27] [28] [29] [30] [ citation needed ]}

In 2022, she was the subject of a documentary film in the television series Find Me a Singaporean, featuring her work and life in Paris. ^[31] In 2023, she was a jury member of the Political Photography Prize awarded by the National Assembly of France and LCP, the Parliamentary Channel. ^{[32] [33]}

In 2025, Teo’s new photography book Two Rivers/Deux Fleuves ^[34] (Les Éditions du Pacifique, Paris, 2025) was published, reflecting her personal connection to the Singapore River and the Seine River in Paris and featuring a foreword by Pierre Haski, French journalist and President of Reporters Without Borders.

In April 2025, the Embassy of France in Singapore presented Teo’s an exhibition of this work on Anderson Bridge, a Singaporean national monument, as part of the Voilah! France–Singapore Festival. Teo’s Two Rivers exhibition celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries with support from the Singapore’s Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, National Arts Council, National Parks Board, Land Transport Authority and Mapletree Investments. A second phase of the exhibition was staged at VivoCity. ^{[35] [36] [37] [38] [39]}

On 29 May 2025, during their state visit to Singapore, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron visited the exhibition in the company of Singapore’s Prime Minister of Lawrence Wong and his wife Loo Tze Lui. The following day, Teo was among guests invited to the state banquet hosted by Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam in honour of President Emmanuel Macron at Raffles Hotel. ^{[40] [41] [42] [43] [44]}

Prior to photography, Teo worked in book publishing.

Publications

• Dark Light (exhibition catalogue), published by 2902 Gallery, Singapore, 2011
• Light From Within with afterword by Abbas, published by Canvas, Singapore, 2012
• Lumière Surgie de l’Intérieur (French edition of Light From Within), published by Les Editions du Pacifique, Paris, 2012
• The Light Beyond (exhibition catalogue) with text by Parisa Reza, published by The Arts House, Singapore, 2016
• Les Arbres de Paris/The Trees of Paris with foreword by Sylvain Tesson, published by Les Editions du Pacifique, Paris, 2020
• Two Rivers/Deux Fleuves with foreword by Pierre Haski, published by Les Éditions du Pacifique, Paris, 2025

Solo exhibitions

• 2012: Light From Within, Cathay Gallery, Singapore
• 2012: Light From Within, JAS Gallery, Paris
• 2016: The Light Beyond, The Arts House, Singapore
• 2016: Eden, Chan + Hori Contemporary Gallery, Singapore
• 2020-2021: Les Arbres de Paris/The Trees of Paris, la galerie, Alliance Française de Singapour, part of Voilah! France Singapore Festival and Singapore Art Week
• 2022: Les Arbres de Paris/巴黎的树, Yellow Crane Tower, Wuhan, China, part of Croisements France China Cultural Festival
• 2022: Les Arbres de Paris/巴黎的树, Le Châlet Art Museum, Wuhan, China
• 2024: Les Arbres de Paris/The Trees of Paris, Sorbonne University, Paris
• 2025: Two Rivers/Deux Fleuves, Anderson Bridge and VivoCity, Singapore

Joint and group exhibitions

• 2011: Dark Light with photographer Abbas, 2902 Gallery, Singapore
• 2013: 7 Days in Myanmar by 30 Great Photographers, Yangon, Myanmar

Filmography

• 2022: Find Me a Singaporean, Ep. 6 (produced by Threesixzero Productions and broadcast on Channel U)

References

1. Attar, Abbas; Teo, Melisa (2011). Darklight : a joint exhibition by Abbas/Magnum & Melisa Teo. Singapore: 2902 Gallery. p. 44. ISBN   978-9-81089-793-2. OCLC   763144565.
2. Teo, Melisa (2012). "Light From Within". National Library Board Singapore. Archived from the original on 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
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4. Corgier, Jean-Louis (20 November 2012). "Light from Within : Melisa Teo expose à Paris". Classtourisme. Archived from the original on 2020-06-28. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
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6. Gray, Dennis; Falconer, John; Grossman, Nicholas (2014). 7 Days in Myanmar: By 30 Great Photographers. Singapore: Editions Didier Millet. p. 276. ISBN   978-9-81438-570-1.
7. "Melisa Teo Photographe". Actuphoto. Archived from the original on 2020-06-28. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
8. Tan, Debbie (2016-06-18). "Let There Be Light | A review of The Light Beyond: A Photographic Pilgrimage by Melisa Teo". Art Hop. Archived from the original on 2020-07-04. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
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23. "Exhibition: The Trees of Paris". Sorbonne University. Archived from the original on 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
24. "Is Sylvain Tesson Contagious?". Radio France. 10 October 2024. Archived from the original on 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
25. "Sylvain Tesson's Diary: Poetry And Movement". Le Pont. 16 November 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-11-17. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
26. Tesson, Sylvain; Teo, Melisa (2020). Les Arbres de Paris/The Trees of Paris. Paris: Les Éditions du Pacifique. p. 96. ISBN   978-2-87868-263-2.
27. "Abbas Photos". Abbas Photos. Archived from the original on 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
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