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This autumn in Kew’s Shirley Sherwood Gallery, discover two complementary exhibitions that explore the complex colonial history of botanical art through both historical and contemporary lenses.

The Singh Twins

In Gallery 5, THE SINGH TWINS: Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire by internationally acclaimed artists The Singh Twins showcases a striking new body of work inspired by Kew’s botanical archives. Displayed as fabric light boxes, these explore the deep connections between botany, empire and trade. Through bold imagery, they reveal how plants such as cotton, spices and dyes played a pivotal role in colonial expansion. Alongside these are works highlighting the symbolism and cultural significance of plants across global traditions. The exhibition also features their powerful short film King Cotton: An Artist’s Tale, reflecting on colonial narratives of plant commodification and its relevance today.

Flora Indica

Concurrently, the exhibition Flora Indica: Recovering the lost histories of Indian botanical art, will be displayed in Galleries 1–4, the first-ever public display of 52 rediscovered botanical illustrations by Indian artists commissioned by British botanists between 1790 and 1850. These exquisite watercolours, hidden for over a century, shed light on the contribution of Indian artists in shaping botanical knowledge. Co-curated by Dr Henry Noltie and Dr Sita Reddy, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the environments where these master artists worked, spanning present-day India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.