Seow spent much of his childhood in his mother’s garden in Malaysia, observing its continual evolution with each revisit. Here, he looks at the garden as a very specific version of nature: a visual spectacle of plants, water and space- a place of serenity to be contemplated in peace. Perhaps one may liken gardening to landscape painting, looking at gardens as some look at landscape in painting.

“Garden Path” is a body of work inspired by this contemplation. Bridging Eastern and Western aesthetics of nature through the relationship between gardening and art, these complex photomontages draw reference from Chinese classical ink painting, Western 19th century Romantic landscape painting and 17th century still-life painting. 

Like a gardener, Seow digitally renders a vision of a mythical and harmonious universe. Using thousands of carefully selected pieces of online imagery to construct the work, he reflects on an image-driven society, particularly how much of the contemporary experience of nature occurs through digital means. Exploring scale, colour and repetition, the work addresses nostalgia, history, and how experiences of nature and cultural practice intersect.