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Catherine Delmas Lett
French painter – Landscapes, memories and stories
PORTFOLIO 2026
Where Shadows Sing
“At dawn, in the studio still wrapped in sleep, the shadows of the brushes stretched across the untouched canvas. They seemed already to be tracing shapes, as though the painting existed before a single stroke had been laid down. In this silent dialogue between shadow and light, I understood that colours are born from what eludes us, from what whispers at the threshold of reality.”
“I have always listened to what cannot be seen. The wind moving through the leaves, the murmur of distant rain, the echo of a footstep on rain-soaked ground. Everything that vibrates within silence has a voice. Shadows, too, sing, not with a melody we can hear, but with a tremor that passes through us, with a presence that lingers upon the skin. It is there, at the threshold between light and night, that I find my refuge.”
Catherine Delmas Lett An excerpt from my French-language book, « Là où chantent les ombres ».
Ridley Park’ series, Singapore
A dreamlike window onto Singapore’s colonial architecture. A subtle interplay of light and shadow lends the houses, partially concealed within lush vegetation, an atmosphere that is both warm and mysterious.
Botanic Garden’ series, Singapore
My artistic journey is deeply rooted in the captivating odyssey that has taken me from the wild Eden of Malaysia to the vibrant jungle of the city.
Each brushstroke, each nuance of oil paint, tells the story of my artistic transformation. The landscape shifts, and the scene moves towards the heart of Singapore, where the Botanic Gardens become the setting for a new reality. The animals that once remained hidden in the jungle no longer seem quite so wary of humans in this urban wilderness.
Between untamed nature and nature shaped by human presence, my gaze evolves, while the painting continues its own journey.
solitude
2023
Oil on canvas, 100×80 cm, EHL Campus Singapore
Private collection, Singapore
In the Land of Pantuns’ series, Malaysia
Pantun Sayang a rencontré celle qui signe volontiers « l’expatriée » dans une maison rouge, une maison malaise traditionnelle de la côte est de la Malaisie, là où le parfum chaud de la cire de batik assouplit le temps et avive les mémoires. Et le parcours et le travail de Catherine Delmas, du Qatar au Terengganu, des sables du Qatar à la jungle de la Belle Malaya, a suscité de vifs échos en nous, de notre premier Concours sur le thème du batik jusqu’aux chants colorés des artistes malaisiens – en passant bien sûr par Henri Fauconnier : des yeux pour regarder, mais aussi des oreilles pour écouter d’autres mondes, une piste qui reste bien alerte, en Pantounie… Mais laissons la place à ce que Catherine Delmas dit d’elle-même.
au pays des pantouns
2018
Oil on canvas, 100×120 cm, Residence of the French Embassy in Singapore
Podeck, the Gardener
2019
Oil on canvas, 75×150 cm, Residence of the French Embassy in Singapore
Vision of a Fleeting Journey’ series, Qatar
Dust, light, shadows and silence.
My pictorial language began to emerge in the vastness of the desert.
the tents
2009
earth and ink on canvas, 50×50 cm
Private collection, Qatar
the tents
2009
earth and ink on canvas, 100×100 cm
Private collection, Qatar
She is a French painter and a graduate of ESAG Penninghen. An interior architect until her departure for Qatar in 2000, she founded Les Rencontres Artistiques there and led workshops devoted to The Art of Drawing.
Her journey then takes her from the mineral light of the desert to the lush jungles of Malaysia, and on to the gardens of Singapore, before returning to France.
From these successive landscapes emerges a sensitive body of work in which light, colour and the living world become memory. She paints not so much the places she passes through as the traces they leave within her.
Curator’s notes
The work of Catherine Delmas-Lett is rooted in an aesthetic of spontaneity and simplification, seeking to reach the very heart of ineffable impressions. Having spent many years in Qatar, her paintings are characterised by a restrained and understated palette.
It was during her years in Asia that more vivid colours began to emerge, reflecting a subtle evolution in her artistic approach. Yet the challenges of life in Malaysia, particularly during the Covid period, together with the experience of isolation in Singapore, gave rise to a profound emotional exploration.
Through these experiences, the artist gives expression to emotions, shaping impressions that often defy words. In doing so, she conveys an inner feeling, a deeply personal and sensory experience addressed both to herself and to the viewer.
Yalin Chen Olal’Art
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 – FARANDOLES ANIMALES – Virtual exhibition, online.
2015 – A Walk Beneath the Stars – Museum Under the Stars, MIA, Doha, Qatar.
2015 – POETRY OF THE DESERT – Desert Art Exhibition, Qatar.
2009 – VISION OF A FLEETING JOURNEY – Waqif Art Center, Doha, Qatar.
2007 – BETWEEN SEA AND SAND – French Cultural Centre, Doha, Qatar.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 – ELSEWHERE (Ailleurs) – Olal’Art, Le Marais, Paris, France.
2026 – FOUNTAIN OF ABUNDANCE – EHL Hospitality Business School, Lausanne, Singapore Campus.
2025 – COLOURS OF SINGAPORE – EHL Hospitality Business School, Singapore Campus.
2024 – Affordable Art Fair Singapore – Singapore.
2022–2024 – Exhibition at the French Ambassador’s Residence, Singapore.
2024 – PALETTE OF PERSPECTIVES – Group exhibition, ION Art Space, Singapore.
2023–2024 – AS GOOD AS GREEN
GROUP EXHIBITIONS (continued)
2020 – ULEK JIWA – Painting exhibition, Drawbridge Tower, organised by the Terengganu Artists Association (PeTer), Malaysia.
2017 – UNSUNG HEROINES – Contemporary Art Exhibition, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2016 – French Talent Show – Batik Model – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2013 – HISTOIRES DE PORTES – Exhibition of Francophone Artists in Qatar, Katara Art Center, Katara Cultural Village, Doha, Qatar.
2011 – MY DOHA: 3 Friends, 3 Visions, 3 Sensibilities – Ramada Plaza, Doha, Qatar.
2009 – 21st General Exhibition for Local and Resident Artists – Qatar Fine Arts Society, Katara, Doha, Qatar.
2007 – ENTRE MER ET SABLE – French Cultural Centre, Doha, Qatar.
2005 – Exhibition in support of the Tsunami victims – Dana Club, Doha, Qatar.
2004 – DIALOGUE OF COLOURS – International Painting Exhibition, Girls Creativity Centre, Qatar.
2004 – Exhibition – Youth Creative Art Center, Qatar.
2000 – Exhibition – French Cultural Centre, Doha, Qatar.
1989 – Model Museum of Grenoble – Le Grand Palais, Paris, France.
PUBLICATIONS & PRESS
2022 – AU PAYS DES PANTOUNS – Publication in Le Petit Journal de Singapour.
“Le Pantoun : quatrains imagés et énigmatiques”, by Jacques Duquesne, published on 27 March 2022.
2018 – RETOUR SUR BATIK – Pantun Sayang, 22nd issue of the literary magazine Pantouns et genres brefs.
2009 – VISION D’UN VOYAGE ÉPHÉMÈRE – Featured in L’Agenda du Golfe, Doha, Qatar.
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
2026 – Dempsey Morning 03 – Collection of the French Ambassador’s Residence, Singapore.
2024 – The Orchid Garden (Le Jardin aux Orchidées) – Collection of the French Ambassador’s Residence, Singapore.
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