SCOPE, NYC

THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF LEKHA SINGH

Who are we? What separates us? What unifies us?

Fine art photographer Lekha Singh has been exploring these simple yet infinitely complex questions for decades. As we deepen our stake in the 21st century these age-old questions seem to be of increasing importance. Although the theme of her work varies with her evolving vision, the one thing that remains constant is her desire to highlight underrepresented subjects. Whether Lekha is taking a macro approach to weeds – flora’s most under-appreciated species – or she is traveling the world exposing cultural nuances, Singh delves into a paradigm that celebrates the eternal beauty found within subjects hidden in plain sight.

Singh is a multi-disciplined creative who channels her finely-honed artistry to expose life, death and the human condition. We experience her work as both serene and stunning. Singh has garnered acclaim for a body of work sourced from rich subject matter that challenges her audience to acknowledge and appreciate the familiar in the foreign and strange. Spanning multiple countries and diverse cultures, her work is a window to the world. Singh believes that within life's imperfection we have an opportunity to wonder and be amazed.

In her series Weeds, the artist examines the temporal beauty of oft neglected, unwanted flora. This exchange reminds of childhood, running through fields with an innocent bliss. Her large aluminum photographic prints, characterized by anomalous angles and dramatic light contrasts, capture weeds in ecosystems around the globe. As the viewer steps into Singh’s perspective, these commonplace, tenacious plants become startlingly beautiful.

Singh’s series, Still Life, riffs on the long-standing tradition of still life painting. This study is a direct metaphor to a relationship having run it’s course, Several of the works are reminiscent of the dramatic still life works of the Dutch Masters – featuring untouched, spoiling food juxtaposed against a background of mundane blacks and browns. Similar to Weeds, Still Life presents the beauty inherent in simple moments and everyday scenes. Both series’ showcase Singh’s ability as a photographer and artist to reveal the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Lekha Singh contributed photographs to National Geographic’s The Other Side of War: Women’s Stories of Survival and Hope. Her major exhibitions — Created Equal, Nomadic Camera, African Journeys, and The Other Half: Women in Focus — have been shown in museums (including the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.) and galleries throughout the United States. Lekha Singh’s work can be found in important private collections as well as public collections such as The Rubin Museum of Art in New York and the University of California, Berkeley.