Joy is a bronze sculpture by Ruth Bloch on Lawn E at Singapore Botanic Gardens. It depicts a mother lifting her child. NParks records that a Friend of the Gardens donated it in 2005.
Use the Tanglin Gate sculpture map and look for Lawn E. If you enter at Bukit Timah Gate, pictured above, find Lawn E on the full Gardens map first. The name Joy is short, so including the artist and lawn name makes it easier to locate.
- Location Lawn E, at the Tanglin end of the Gardens.
- Artist Ruth Bloch.
- Nearby work Chang Kuda, also on Lawn E.
How to find Joy on Lawn E
Open the NParks sculpture map before setting out. Follow your route to Lawn E and look for the tall, slender figure with a child raised above her. If you are meeting someone, send the name of the lawn and the title of the sculpture together.
What to notice in the bronze figures
Look first at the line formed by the mother’s body and raised arms. Then move to another angle and notice the space between the faces. Ask children to describe how they can tell the two figures are looking at one another, and what changes when seen from the side.
Compare two sculptures on the same lawn
NParks also lists Chang Kuda by Chong Fah Cheong on Lawn E. Both works are bronze, but Chang Kuda depicts a group of boys playing a game. Compare the quiet exchange between two people in Joy with the way the figures in Chang Kuda make room for one another as they play.
Frequently asked questions
Is Joy near the National Orchid Garden?
The sculpture’s listed location is Lawn E in the Tanglin section of the Gardens.
What does the sculpture show?
A mother holding her child up in the air.
Which sculpture map should I use from Tanglin Gate?
Use NParks’ map that starts at Tanglin Gate.