Exclusive exhibition of Japanese botanical art pieces at Flower Obsession: Plant Collecting in East Asia, 1600s – 1900s, at the Singapore Botanic Gardens

- First ever exhibition of 100 items including printed books, manuscripts and photographs from Higashiyama Botanical Gardens and the private Soukaen Bunko (Nagoya, Japan)

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is hosting an exclusive exhibition, ‘Flower Obsession: Plant Collecting in East Asia, 1600s–1900s’ at the Botanical Art Gallery in Gallop House No. 7. This is the first exhibition outside of Japan to feature botanical art pieces from Higashiyama Botanical Gardens and the private Soukaen Bunko in Nagoya, Japan. Featuring about 100 items including printed books, manuscripts and photographs dating from the late 1600s to the early 1900s, this exhibition reflects important developments in botanical illustration in East Asia. The drawings and prints to be featured are an invaluable archive of the East Asian love for flowers and a permanent record of plants that have been cultivated, selected, exhibited, and traded.

The Higashiyama Botanical Gardens is one of Asia’s most comprehensive Botanical Gardens, featuring over 7,000 varieties of plant life, and Japan’s oldest glasshouse, now designated as an Important Cultural Property.

The private Soukaen Bunko is the custodian of one of Japan’s leading collections of botanical illustrated publications and manuscripts. This private library of Mr Ogasawara Saemonnojo Ryoken has been built up since 1970 when he began collecting  literature and materials related to plants and horticulture in the Edo period. Born in Nagoya in 1933, Mr Ogasawara was Chairman of the Japan Horticultural Society, and director of Nagoya Engei Nursery & Florist Co. Ltd. 

About the exhibition

The exhibition is divided between two rooms in the Botanical Art Gallery. The displays in the first room showcase selected flowers that have been ubiquitous in the arts and plant collecting traditions of East Asia for centuries. The second room reflects the boom of plant exhibitions and competitions that became popular in Japan at the same time as the development of botany and plant illustrations in the early to mid-1800s. The numerous books that were produced as a permanent record of the best plants are displayed in this room.

Programmes

Over the six months of the exhibition, various programmes will be conducted for members of public to participate in. There will be a regular free postcard release every first Saturday of the month, bimonthly online talks conducted by the exhibition’s curator and guided tours on-site. These programmes are part of the Gardens’ efforts to connect people with nature through art and are made possible through donations by both individuals as well as organisations through National Parks Board’s registered charity and Institution of Public Character (IPC), Garden City Fund (GCF).

More details on the programmes at the Botanical Art Gallery can be found at https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/singapore-botanic-gardens.

Contributions can be made to the Singapore Botanic Gardens by emailing garden_city_fund@nparks.gov.sg or visiting our website https://go.gov.sg/sbgart.

In line with Singapore’s vision to transform into a City in Nature, this exhibition will allow visitors to appreciate the intricacies of botany, allowing them to better enjoy the benefits of connecting with nature in their daily lives.

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