WHAT? The Singh Twins: Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire
WHERE? Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, TW9 3LL
WHEN? Now until 12 April 2026
WHY GO? For a quirky Asian take on botanical art. They may be twins, but they think, act and work as one. The Singh Twins are artists with their own totally unique singular style. Identical twins Amrit and Rabindra are famous for interpreting Indian Miniatures in a shiny, glossy ‘tongue in cheek’ fashion that appeals to fans across the board. They have crafted a style that invites analysing each and every jam-packed composition, mostly lit light-box style, and reflecting upon our complex Colonial history.
Growing up in a Sikh family, the twins portray their ancestry and still live where they grew up in the Liverpool area where they are almost as famous as the Beatles were back in the day.
This powerful exhibition digs deep into history exploring how the British Empire grew with a little help from botany, hence its showcase at Kew and includes a mix of old work and new work.
It begs to be viewed on a dull day when their colourful imagery will brighten up any notion that botanical art is boring.
IN THE KNOW Championing the Indian artists who shaped our knowledge of South Asian botany, Flora Indica: Recovering the lost histories of Indian botanical art, displayed alongside the exhibition showcases 52 early botanical illustrations commissioned by British botanists between 1790–1850.