Art@EdenHall Closing and Fundraiser Event
21 May British Council celebrated the closing of the first edition of Art@Eden Hall with an auction of artist Chloe Manasseh's work. This is the first residency of the British High Commission and British Council artist residency programme held within the grounds of Eden Hall. The residency is open to British artists based in Singapore or Singapore artists who have studied or worked in the UK.
The programme was initiated in 2018, with Chloë Manasseh selected as the first artist-in-residence. If you find her family name familiar, you’re spot on - her exhibition, the Fruitfulness of Forgetting, opened on 29 January 2019 and is a tribute to her family’s special history with the building.
21 May, this very day 103 years ago, is the birthday of Leonard Manasseh — Chloë’s grandfather became a famous architect, president of the Royal Institute of Architects in London, and an artist, who inspired his grand daughter to paint — and raised her with dreams of Eden Hall that the young Chloe conflated with the Biblical Garden of Eden. Chloe’s enchanting artwork you see tonight is a response to the Eden Hall who in her mind was the Garden of Eden.
The event was also a very special occasion where there was an auction of one of Chloe’s artworks and the proceeds went go to the beneficiaries of Very Special Arts towards a joint British Council and VSA programme.
The pianist who performed at the event himself is a VSA beneficiary. Joshua German, the talented young man by the piano, is a 23 year old pianist currently in his second year of training with VSA. Joshua was diagnosed with autism at age 3. He relies solely on his memory to play.
Fund was raised for a joint British Council and VSA programme.