The Singh Twins: Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire
Product Description
A showcase of works presented in The Singh Twins: Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire exhibition at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Author: The Singh Twins, 120 pages, 255 x 205 mm. Paperback, ISBN 9781842468456, Kew Publishing, 2025.
The Singh Twins are award-winning, internationally recognised contemporary British artists who draw on the artistic conventions of diverse cultural traditions. In Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire, an exhibition catalogue published to coincide with their exhibition of the same name at Kew Gardens, they present a body of largely new, richly detailed works inspired by Kew’s collections and the wider story of botany.
Amongst other themes, their detailed and vibrant artworks interrogate the wealth which the British Empire amassed from the development of economic botany, that is the hunting, cultivation and trade in plants, including cotton, spices and dyes, something which botanists from Kew were directly involved in at the time. Their personal and artistic response also reflects on the East India Company and the creation of the Wallich Herbarium (a collection of over 20,000 dried plant specimens and botanical illustrations collected by Nathaniel Wallich between 1817 and 1828), the source of much of Kew’s archive of Indian material.
In this ambitious undertaking, the duality and intertwining of British and Indian cultures sits alongside the dual exploitation of and appreciation for nature. Colonial history, floral symbolism and the mythologies surrounding plants are explored in new mediums which invite readers to engage in a nuanced dialogue about the intersections of politics, botany, culture, art and colonial heritage. This retrospective artistic exploration is profoundly pertinent today, offering a unique perspective on themes with contemporary relevance: identity, trade politics, and the serious environmental problems facing the modern world.
An introduction to the Singh Twins is provided by best-selling author Janina Ramirez.
Author Information
The Singh Twins, Dr Amrit K.D.K. Singh MBE and Dr Rabindra K.D.K. Singh MBE, are award-winning, internationally recognised contemporary British artists. Describing their art as Past-Modern, they explore both historical and current themes around society, politics and culture; demonstrate the contemporary relevance of history and tradition; and challenge Eurocentrism in the art world and wider society. Their work is in private and public collections worldwide and has been exhibited by established venues such as the National Portrait Gallery, London, National Museums Liverpool, and the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi.
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