Seeing Forest

Artists

Robert ZHAO Renhui

Press release

National Participation - Singapore

Seeing Forest offers an evocative exploration of secondary forests—abandoned, deforested spaces now regrown and overtaken by nature. Often taken over by invasive plant and animal species introduced to Singapore in the 19th century, these thresholds between primary forest and developed areas offer insights into a complex web of human and non-human co-existence.

Rooted in years of research accumulated from countless forest excursions and hours of patient observation, Zhao’s exhibition in Venice reveals the interactions and encounters of wildlife with human life in these lush yet forsaken sites, offering a testament to the tenacity of nature. 

Through Seeing Forest, visitors are invited to explore some of the ways in which human urban design can shape the natural world, resulting in an ecosystem of migrant species that echoes the trajectories and makeup of the city’s human population.

Commissioner: LOW Eng Teong, Chief Executive Officer, National Arts Council, Singapore
Curator: Haeju KIM