THE SINGH TWINS, Amrit Singh and her sister Rabindra Kaur Sing, were born in Richmond (Surrey), and brought up in Birkenhead (Cheshire). Between the mid-1980s and early ‘90s, they studied art at University College Chester, then at Manchester University. These highly creative women produce works that incorporate features of Indian traditional art, mediaeval illuminated manuscripts, contemporary western culture, and pop art, often all combined in one work.

The exhibition at Kew Gardens, “THE SINGH TWINS: Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire”, which is showing until 12 April 2026, is filled with great examples of their artwork. Their highly decorative, colourful works are rich in interesting details, rather in the way that Italian renaissance paintings were enriched with symbols and features that would have meant a great deal to those viewing them when they were first paintings, and to art historians many centuries later. The many details in the pictures at Kew evoke many thoughts in the minds of people seeing them today, and remind the audience of events that happened not too long ago when Britain had a vast empire and Britannia ruled the waves, and much of the world’s commercial activity.

Each of the pictures on display at Kew contains plenty of witty and often chilling reminders of what the British (and other Europeans) did to the lands they colonised and exploited. Though filled with imagery relating to Britain’s imperial past and its consequences both abroad and in modern Britain, the pictures are glorious to see. A video, with a commentary written in verse and narrated by the twins, accompanies the exhibition. If the pictures alone do not convey the artists’ messages to all viewers, watching the film is very helpful. In keeping with where they are being exhibited, this collection of the twin’s work focusses not only on colonial histories but also on the plants that helped the colonisers enrich themselves.

The exhibition can only be visited if you have paid for entry to Kew Gardens or if you are a member. After seeing the exhibition you can wander around the gardens and spot some of the many plants that were originally brought from different parts of the empire to grow in the botanical gardens.