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SINGAPORE – Starting Saturday (March 13), the Singapore Botanic Gardens will display pieces of art dating back to the colonial period and host them in a remodeled colonial bungalow.
The National Parks Board (NParks) has converted Gallop House No. 7 (Inverturret) into the Botanical Art Gallery.
It will have watercolors and drawings from the archives of the gardens, which has around 2,000 pieces.
The artwork, which will include some works by contemporary artists, will be rotated every six months, with around 100 pieces on display at a time.
Dr. Michele Rodda, Principal Investigator of the Gardens and Curator of Exhibitions, said: “This is the first time that we have made a significant amount of artwork from our archives available to the public.
“We hope to raise awareness of the importance of botanical art for research and show the coordination between the work of artists and botanists.
“The gallery is not merely a closed historical collection, but a collection that grows and grows.”
It was one of several new features officially unveiled by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Saturday morning.
The features are part of the Galloping Extension of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
In addition to Inverturret, Gallop House No. 5 (Atbara) has also been repurposed.
It is now the Forest Discovery Center @OCBC Arboretum.
Built in 1898, it is the oldest known colonial bungalow in Singapore that is still preserved.
The Forest Discovery Center is an outreach and research center that showcases Singapore’s forest ecosystems and highlights the importance of their conservation through interactive exhibits.
Some exhibits in the center complement the OCBC Arboretum, which houses and displays the gardens’ collection of dipterocarps, a group of plants that mainly comprises trees from the rainforest.
Admission to both the discovery center and the art gallery is free and subject to current secure management measures, NParks said.
The Como Adventure Grove, a playground inspired by parts of trees found within the gardens, was also recently opened.
Includes structures such as a giant version of the pod and seeds of a saga tree, which transform into play objects for children to climb and jump.
The completion of the 8ha extension brings the total area of the gardens to 82ha.
The newly opened sections comprise 5ha of Gallop Extension, 3ha of which were opened in 2019.
Sites open in 2019 include Mingxin Foundation Rambler’s Ridge and OCBC Arboretum.
Tan Puay Yok Gardens Group Director said: “The Gallop Extension is designed for all ages.
“It allows people to get closer to nature in a very immersive environment and be educated about the importance of conservation and understand the natural and cultural heritage of this park.”
Referring to the gardens as a success story in Singapore’s push to become a city in nature, one of the pillars of the recently announced Singapore Green Plan 2030 sustainability plan, Heng said: “Botanic gardens exemplify Singapore’s commitment to build a livable and sustainable Singapore environment. “
The Gallop extension was scheduled to fully open in 2020, but some parts were delayed due to conservation considerations and Covid-19 construction restrictions.
One remaining feature remains to be completed: the HPL Canopy Link, which will open in 2022.
The 200 meter long bridge will connect the Gallop Extension to the Forest of Learning in the oldest area of the gardens.
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