Singapore’s This Humid House wins first prize at flower festival in Spain
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
This Humid House has been awarded the first prize at the Flora International Flower Festival 2024 for its installation, Between Magnolias.
PHOTOS: THIS HUMID HOUSE
SINGAPORE – Home-grown botanical design studio This Humid House has scored a win for Singapore with its installation titled Between Magnolias.
The studio, which was founded in Singapore in 2017 and has offices here and in Paris, France, clinched first prize at the prestigious Flora International Flower Festival 2024.
The annual festival, held in the city of Cordoba in Spain and running till Oct 25, is the world’s foremost event for contemporary floral art.
This Humid House is the only representative from Asia to participate in this edition. The event has invited leading international artists to create large-scale botanical installations in Cordoba’s iconic courtyards since 2017.
In a press statement, This Humid House founder and creative director John Lim said: “Being the first botanical artist from Singapore to participate in this renowned festival is a privilege, and winning is a testament to our team’s dedication to showcasing the complex, multispecies relationships that are central to our practice.”
Between Magnolias was recognised for its interpretation of the festival’s Multispecies theme, which explores the intricate relationships between species within a shared environment.
Set in the courtyard of historical building Palacio de la Merced in Cordoba, the installation rests between stately magnolia trees, exploring the symbiotic relationships between flora, fauna and humans within a shared habitat.
It includes a soundscape titled Luminous II by Singapore-based artist Zai Tang. It merges field recordings of nature from Singapore with recitations of Andalusian poetry.
The festival featured other artists such as the United States’ Emily Thompson, who took second prize for her installation Inversions, Canadian floral studio Coyote Flowers, Germany’s Carolin Ruggaber and Spain’s Eugenio Ampudia.
The jury consisted of Lithuanian artist Tadao Cern, winner of Flora 2023; Ms Lucia Casani, general director of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation in Spain; and Disbel Roque, an artist and cultural manager based in Madrid.
Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we said that Zai Tang is a Singaporean artist. He is a Singapore-based artist.
