What is Symbiosis V about?

Symbiosis V is an online exhibition featuring art created through the international mentorship initiative by The Art of Letters.

14 Nov - 23 Nov 2025

What is the mentoring initiative?

The Art of Letters hosts an international mentoring initiative in which artists are formed into mentoring groups led by established artists. For 8 months to a year, mentees are guided in their art-making process and work towards producing a body of works for an online exhibition named ‘Symbiosis’.

Who are the artists in Symbiosis IV?

For Symbiosis V, we have four distinguished mentors and 14 mentee artists, altogether from 10 countries:

HEATHER HELD (Toronto, Canada) mentors:

Beatriz Vicente (From Spain, now in Virginia, USA), Kunnatee Vechasilp (Bangkok, Thailand), and Gail Pergande (New Forest [Southampton], UK).

GABRIELA SOBA (Spain) mentors:

Nadine Wehrli (Weimar, Germany), Nur Syuhada Jaafar (Alabama, USA – Central), and Tatiana de Figueiredo Gebert (Tualatin, Oregon, USA - PS).

MARINA SORIA (Buenos Aires, Argentina) mentors:

Shizuka (Japan), Maria Trott (New South Wales, Australia), Merle Neumann (Germany – near Nuremberg), and Ana Sanabria (Medellín, Colombia).

RANDALL HASSON (California, USA) mentors:

Dr Nandita Anantharaman (Chennai, India), Juan Luis Gargurevich (Lima, Peru), Younghae Chung (California, USA), and Arlene Custock (California, USA).

How can I learn more about the artists and their art?

You can read more about the artists below. And you can view recordings of the Symbiosis IV Weekend Events (link to be shared later), where they share their stories, inspiration and process of art-making.

How can I view the art?

The exhibition opens on 14 November 2025. Following the launch, you may explore the artworks in the Gallery, thoughtfully organised according to the mentoring groups. Click on any image to view the details and descriptions of each piece. Take your time to linger and sit with the works—each carries its own story and journey.

All artworks are available for purchase. Please contact us if you wish to acquire a piece from the exhibition.

Enter gallery (Coming soon)

/Symbiosis V

Highlights

Join us on Zoom for our Exhibition Opening on the 14 Nov, 11:30PM (GMT+8)

The Symbiosis Exhibition opens live on Zoom. Our Curator talks about what we can expect to see in the exhibition.
Follow us on Instagram for the live session updates too!
You can join all our zoom sessions using the same ID & Passcode:
Meeting ID: 521 112 3532
Passcode: 2116132171

To join the session, just go on Zoom.com, click on ‘Meet’ > ‘Join a meeting’ and enter the Meeting ID & Passcode.

Visit our online Exhibition Gallery featuring 4 mentors and 14 participating artists

Symbiosis V exhibition takes place from 14 Nov to 23 Nov 2025
The Art of Letters Gallery will be accessible to the public starting from the 14 Nov 11:30PM (GMT+8)

Enter Gallery (Coming Soon)

Participate in our Weekend Events including talks, demos, write-togethers & more

Weekly artist demonstrations, write-togethers, meet-the-mentors and meet-the-artist sessions!

Hear about how they learn to find personal expression in calligraphy, where they find inspiration and their processes.
Also, Meet the Mentors to hear their views about calligraphic art.
You can join all our zoom sessions using the same ID & Passcode:
Meeting ID: 521 112 3532
Passcode: 2116132171

To join the session, just go on Zoom.com, click on ‘Meet’ > ‘Join a meeting’ and enter the Meeting ID & Passcode.

Disclaimer: The hosts and organisers of Symbiosis Weekend events seek your understanding in case of unforeseen circumstances which require us to alter the dates or times of these offerings. We will try to keep you updated and informed within our means.

Introducing the mentors & mentees

This mentoring group is led by Heather Held, with mentees Beatriz Vicente, Kunnatee Vechasilp and Gail Pergande .

Heather Held
*Mentor |* *Toronto, Canada*
*Email her*

Annabel Delgado
*Artist | Miami, USA*
*@annabelcalligraphy*

Irène Le Corre
*Artist | Geneva, Switzerland*
*@lesencresfolles*

Maki Shimano
*Artist |* Japan
*@ryukashimano* | *@mscalligraphy*

This mentoring group is led by Eleanor Winters with mentees Elif Laxage Studio, Nur Syuhada Jaafar and Toks Ojo

With traditional calligraphy as the foundation, Eleanor's group explored myriad ways to blend calligraphy with colours & textures into 2D and 3D forms.

Eleanor Winters
*Mentor | New York / Paris, France*
*@eleanor_winters_vdp1*

Elif Laxage Studio
*Artist | Kocaeli, Turkey*
*@laxagestudio*

Nur Syuhada Jaafar
*Artist | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia*
@byhandarts_by_sj_atelier

Toks Ojo
*Artist | Brisbane, Australia*
@toksojodesigns

This mentoring group is led by Gabriela Soba with mentees Alicia Márquez, Ines Buteler, and Roxana Hernández

Gabriela's group blended highly technical explorations with fluid expressions, moulding calligraphy into a variety of forms, mediums and structures.

*Gabriela Soba*
*Mentor |* Barcelona, Spain
@gabriela.soba

Alicia Márquez
*Artist | Chicago, USA*
*@alicia__marquez* | *Website*

Ines Buteler
*Artist | Buenos Aires, Argentina*
@inesbuteler_arte

Roxana Hernández
*Artist | Poland*
*@roxanaink*

This mentoring group is led by Julie Wildman, with mentees Ines Sotomayor and Dashaen (Rajan Kumar Singh)

Deeply personal and yet highly technical in execution, Julie's group explored art-making far beyond their comfort zones to share their stories and history.