For the past seven years the interdisciplinary artist Robert Zhao Renhui has been investigating a number of secondary forests in his native Singapore—specifically, one nestled between expressways near his home, the other surrounding Gillman Barracks, a former colonial-era military site turned art precinct. And despite a conservationist friend warning him about the inferior biodiversity of secondary forests compared to primary ones, Zhao was resolute in allowing overlooked patches of greenery born from previously deforested land to reveal themselves through his work.
Such spaces have been Zhao’s primary focus in recent exhibitions, acting as dynamic sites for explorations into the intricate web of human and nonhuman cohabitation. In his commissioned project (2023), for example, Zhao created an immersive performance installation that incorporated objects, plants, video, photography, and sound. Similarly, (2022)—an expansive outdoor installation on display at that year’s Singapore Art Week—acted as a research facility that allowed viewers
