CURRENT PROJECTS

Cúmulus: 10+ years of Estudio Nuboso at MAC – Contemporary Art Museum of Panamá from February 20th to August 10th, 2025

Cumulus is the meeting, union or sum of many non-material things. And cumulus is also a type of cotton-like cloud that can form in rows or in groups, which can often be seen on sunny days. Depending on the effects of other atmospheric factors, like instability, humidity, and thermal gradient, cumulus are precursors to other types of clouds, which can lead to precipitation. 

Estudio Nuboso is an initiative born more than ten years ago in Panama founded by artist~facilitator Ela Spalding (Panama, 1982) as an organization of art and ecology dedicated to encouraging a better relationship between humans and the natural contexts we inhabit. Through a collective and flexible work structure that organizes residencies, workshops, publications, exhibitions and audiovisual projects, Estudio Nuboso has been concerned with creating space and time to connect with the environment, and with human and more-than-human communities, focusing on the care, research and regeneration of the Panamanian tropical ecosystems. Throughout this time, Estudio Nuboso has been generating a cumulus of collaborators, gathering allied particles that join forces depending on the project, and then reorganize themselves in diverse configurations.

Co-curated by Juan Canela, Jennifer Choy, Mana Pinto and Ela Spalding.

Participating artists: Victoria Alegría, Mariela Aragón, Héctor Ayarza, Carolina Borrero, Wanda von Bremen, Lorena Carrasco, Ana Berta Carrizo, Rose Marie Cromwell, Carlos Fernández, Román Flórez, Laura Fong, Anna Handick, Tova Katzman, Silvia Noronha, Isabel de Obaldía, Claire Pentecost, Dominique Ratton Pérez, Mir Rodríguez, Tarina Rodríguez, Libertad Rojo, Jennifer Spector, Ani Ventocilla, José Carlos Zavarse, Emily Zhukov.

SUELO Mallorca

SUELO Mallorca is part of Es Baluard Museu’s forthcoming Biennal B project, and seeks to articulate and share the natural and cultural value of the island to rethink its present and consider a more regenerative future for the Balearic Islands. Through four field trips over four days and at different locations, we will connect with the island’s deep past, with ecological initiatives and experiences connected to all the senses. Join before April 10th via the link above. The results will be shared in the Fall at the museum, and in SUELO style, through a publication and video. Fingers crossed for more SUELO’s to come so we can explore more layers and share the wonders of this place with more people.

Forces

Forces is a compilation of nine songs written and collected between 2012 and 2022. The album addresses the forces that rule our lives; our connection to nature and also the obstacles that seem to get in the way of us having more harmonious relationships with each other and our environment. The songs speak to decisive moments: when a calling received a response, when a wave was caught, when an image was captured. Forces was recorded at home in Berlin, with field recordings gathered in Panama and Europe.

Conceived as an artwork, Forces comes with analog photographs that were taken in the same 10-year period. I’ve produced a handbound, signed, limited edition book of 100 copies with the images and lyrics, as well as a limited edition tape version, released in Spore Initiative, Berlin with the DIY label Rehberge Records. Get in touch about the tape and/or book. Co–produced with Estudio Nuboso, part of the proceeds go towards the care of a very special piece of cloud forest in Panama – El Jilguero Reserve.

In Our Hands

IN OUR HANDS is a series of images of 24 selected mudras (hand yoga positions), placed upon vulnerable landscapes. It is conceived as a toolkit to help us care for and connect with more ease to our selves, others and nature. Through them I propose to build a bridge between our state of being and that of the planet.

You can purchase the box-set of cards (format A6) from me, Zabriskie Bookshop. The e-book version is also available in English and Spanish – please write me directly: connect@elaspalding.com to order it.

Only a few copies are left of this self-published run of cardsets. I am, however, open to collaborations with a publishing house. Get in touch if you are interested!

Una Calle de Árboles, un Corredor de Vida

A children’s book I wrote for and about the mission of the reforestation and community project Pro Eco Azuero, in Panama. Illustrated by Loes Roos, produced by Rosamond Pope Meyer and designed by Lorena Carrasco.

The book tells the story of a girl who encounters a baby monkey and their family, and the difficulties they face when forest connectivity is broken. In Panama and in this particular region, cattle farming is characteristic of the culture. But this young girl and her cousin are moved to help the monkeys to move more freely in their environment. They learn that in order to do that, they have to grow a street of trees – a biological corridor. They start in the fourth grade and by the time they graduate from university, the forest has grown and spread, as well as a culture of care and regeneration. This timeline is a graspable period of our lives which, I hope, will convey to my readers that we can make a difference in the world and see the effects of right relationship in our lifetime