Anita Lester, the multidisciplinary artist from Melbourne Australia. She is not only known as a musician, but is an award winning painter, film maker, poet and illustrator.
Having spent years touring the world with rock outfit ‘Lester The Fierce’, in March 2020, Anita released her debut solo EP ‘Erato’. Whilst the timing of the release was ominous, tracks from the work eventually resonated- notably ‘Wrong Time’ and Anita’s cover of ‘You Want it Darker’ by Leonard Cohen - being picked up by film and television including ‘The Walking Dead’, epiloguing her viral live video of the same song- praised by Leonard himself prior to his death.
In June 2021, Anita released her single ‘Sun and moon and stars’, produced by legendary Australian troubadours, Husky, followed by 'Sacred Heart’ and ‘Earthly Desire’ from her debut album ‘The Clown’, released March 2023. The album tells stories about the death of a dream, written during the quieting of the world. Produced by Gideon Preiss, it bows its head to her heroes, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Carole King and Kate Bush.
Anita’s 2017 short film ‘Noch Am Leben (I’m Still Alive)’ was official selection over 50 festivals globally, including multiple Oscar contenders. It was a Vimeo pick of the year and has gone on to be permanent instalments in Holocaust and Jewish museums globally, including Yad Vashem and the new Melbourne Holocaust Museum.
In 2023 Anita’s debut feature ‘Song of Songs’ was announced by Screen Australia and Jump Street Films. It is being produced by Jamie Bialkower and executive produced by legendary Indian director Shekhar Kapur.
Her paintings are irreverent, technical and striking, all with a nod to mythological stories- which is shown in her book ‘The Seven Palaces of Breath: The Mysteries of the Flying Hobbler‘ and upcoming classic Eastern European story collection ‘Farmacopeia’, created for it’s 100 year anniversary, previously Illustrated by Chagall which will be launched in 2023 alongside the Chagall exhibition at the Australian Jewish Museum.
Her most recent official portrait of Flea from the 'Red Hot Chilli Peppers', gaining praise far and wide from artists and critics, including Patti Smith, Cat Power and Chris Rock, to name a few. Her first painting from a series of portraits of Holocaust survivors of Abram Goldberg OAM was unveiled in February 2023 to high praise, ahead of the series.
She is currently working with Text Publishing on Arnold Zabel’s first Children’s book ‘The Glass Horse of Venice’, set for a 2024 release.
Anita is also an accomplished poet and storyteller with her work appearing in over a dozen books. Her musical release ’Erato’ is also accompanied by a book of poetry, including the widely publicised ‘Ode to Oz’
Though there are many facets to Anita Lester’s art practice but it is all grounded in a unique storytelling style weaving together themes of love, slavery, longing and hope and Jewish culture.