Artist Bio
Zelie Alice is best known for her visually striking, bold colour paintings. An award-winning artist, she has produced work for solo and group exhibitions, which have taken her across Asia, Europe, Australia and to the USA.
Her paintings can be found in private residences, presidential palace, hotels, and resorts in Asia, Europe and Australia. and also held in permanent collections in the Museums.
She was born in Maldives, and lives and works in Paris, France. The four countries where she has lived greatly influence her artwork, which is a result of her journey to understand art and how humans perceive the world around us. Zelie explores feelings of connection to the natural world and places she has been to.
Some recently selected group exhibitions include Dafen International Oil Painting Biennale, China 2020, Homage Park Soo Keun Museum exhibitio, Korea 2021 and the 9th Beijing International Art Biennale, China 2022.
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Artist Statement
My art is a form of visual poetry. Particularly attached to nature, I hold a profound bond that provides me immeasurable pleasure and insight. Nature moves and inspires me. Trees and verdure provide peace of mind and create the perfect environment for contemplation. I thus view nature as an ideal embodiment of the themes most pertinent in my work: permanence and ephemerality, introspection, and the sublime of everyday life.
I often employ visible brushstrokes, bringing attention to the gestural aspects of my process. I use colours with freedom, with strong movements and contrasts filled with energy, like primary-coloured trees and grasses through corporeal motions that mimic organic forms in the wind. Through my physical approach, pastures become undulating fields and skylines transform into billowing galaxies. My dynamic colour application creates a sense of movement and contrasting energy that can range from vibrant vistas to somber natural landscapes. Most of my works are acrylic though I also enjoy working with oil colours, watercolour and ink.
I bring awareness to global warming and the climate change crisis through my art. In 2019, I produced a body of work consisting of 32 paintings about the climate change crisis. These were exhibited at the National Art Gallery of the Maldives. This project continues with a series of work added to the collection every year. It’s important for me to address this issue as an artist because art offers an exchange of unspoken dialogue between the painting and the viewer.
Over the years, I have developed my distinct style of painting by constantly pushing myself to experiment with new techniques and different styles. I describe my style of painting as “Random Realism.”