Hidden in Plain Sight

Singapore’s Botanic Garden

by Jennifer Williams and Isabelle Tadmoury

Nothing could be better “hidden in plain sight” than the Center of Ethnobotany within the Botanic Gardens. Tucked away between the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law and the Ethnogarden is a lovely museum dedicated to the study of the relationship between people and plants.

Following in the footsteps of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew England, the botanical garden was set up to study indigenous plants and their properties. It also played a role in the selection of plants for economic purposes such as nutmeg, rubber and latex, which were later exported. The ethnobotany museum looks at the region's indigenous peoples and their rainforests which provide them with a treasure trove of plants useful as medicines, tools, clothes, art and even musical instruments.

Singapore’s Botanic Garden is central to Singapore’s history from the moment Sir Stamford Raffles created it. It is a beautiful, well-maintained 82-hectare green wonderland with sub-divided gardens focused on healing plants, 1000 species of orchids, hundreds of ginger types, lakes, concert areas and playgrounds. It also displays over 40 pieces of public art.

Girl on a Bicycle

We couldn’t capture all of the art in the article but here are our favorites:

• The Flight of Swans by ENG SIAK LOY in the center of Swan Lake feels like it draws the birds and specifically the swans to the garden.

• A group of six boys playing horseback by CHONG FAH CHEONG is the carefree feeling that we all remember from our youth.

Boys Playing Horseback

• Girl on a Bicycle and Girl on a Swing both by SYDNEY HARPLEY feels like what the gardens should be used for, even though bikes aren’t allowed and there are no swings to be found.

Girl on a Swing

• Fifty Wings by JAMES SURLS which was donated in celebration of Singapore’s 50th anniversary. It’s close to a main point by the clock tower but unless you look for it, we don’t think you’ll find it.

• The Chopin sculpture by KAROL BADYNA looks out over the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage, where orchestras used to play (pre-Covid) to picnickers on the fabulous lawn. The piece arrived at the Garden two years ahead of the bicentenary of Chopin’s birth.

Chopin

• The Ethnobotany stone murals painted by YIP YEW CHONG depict the uses of plants in the everyday lives of various cultures in the region. (You’ll recognize Yip from the many articles we’ve written about Public Art in Singapore.)

The new Gallop extension houses the Botanical Art Gallery with thousands of botanical paintings, sketches, line drawings and photographs. Visitors can also try their hand at the various artistic techniques.

There’s certainly a lot more to this Garden than what first meets the eye!

Isabelle and Jennifer share a love of art, good coffee and exploring Singapore. Both came here in 2019 and are always on the lookout for the next great statue or mural that is just around the corner.