Botero: An exaggeration of volume
I have met the son of Fernando Botero years back in the Philippines on a few occasions. His first time visiting our country, he was very eloquent and charming and told stories about his majestic dad. He always raved about our culture and the hospitality of the Filipinos.
Fast forward to 2026, I was very excited to be part of the Advisory Committee of IMBA and was invited by its co-chair, avid art collector Kim Camacho. IMBA Theatre in Singapore is the first-ever large-scale immersive arts venue and the first venue of its kind dedicated to large-scale immersive experiences. The immaculate space brings together art, technology and storytelling in spectacular large-scale formats that redefine exhibitions, giving a unique guest journey experience by the Gardens by the Bay—the eighth best attraction in the world garnering at least eight million visitors per year. The inaugural exhibition, which is the first of its kind in Asia, and with its grandeur, is truly fitting to bringing Botero in Singapore.
The Botero Foundation hosted a three-day event, and more than 100 collectors and friends flew across the globe to witness this once-in-a-lifetime, awe-inspiring mammoth exhibit—the largest exhibition in the world bringing together 120 works from the 1970s to his final works of the 2020s from the Botero Family collection.
The exhibition is divided into three parts—almost a love letter of a son to his father. Fernado Botero Zea, the eldest son of Botero, gave a very intimate, heartfelt walking tour (with hard hats) in the “Heart of the Volume” exhibit. He started with a charcoal drawing that started his father’s painting career—“Man with a Horse.” At a young age, Fernando was thrown off a horse and fell to the floor; that image in his head captured his imagination and that distorting, amorphic exaggeration of bodies began to develop in him, starting his obsession with volumes.
When he was growing up, he was fascinated by Latin life, so he was painting scenarios of everyday street life and celebrating street culture. One of his major themes as well is bullfighting (his father wanted him to be a bullfighter), but focused on the joy and spectacle of circus and carnival—creating a language of volume and humor.
He also explored the still life, which I wasn’t familiar with, from a drawing of a single mandolin. Here, Botero forged a philosophy: magnifying it and scaling it to epic proportions. He explained that he sought to create a distinct painting language, one that was easily recognizable: By repeating tones across the canvas, limiting the number of colors, he created a style of limited palette with harmonious rhythm.
Through this vast creative journey, he created oils on canvas, charcoal drawings, watercolors, small- and medium-sized bronze sculptures, his mantra being: “A good artist searches for solutions; a great artist searches for problems.” In his later years, he invested in art and collected the works of Picasso, Rothko, Dali, and Francis Bacon.
We then moved on to the “Life in Fullness: The World’s First Immersive Botero Experience” showing his life journey as he tackled love, the death of a loved one, and life. The immersive room is a blend of animation, archives, and spatial storytelling from his childhood through his struggles and triumphs. It shows the true humanity at the heart of his artworks in a kind of memoir narrated by his son.
It was beautiful to see the voluptuous, monumental sculptures amidst the garden setting called the “Garden Grandeur” exhibit. Ten monumental bronze sculptures were scattered around Silver Leaf Garden where art, nature, city and conversation came together. These grandiose sculptures are playful, energetic and profound, inviting reflection as much as joy, surprise and delight. Botero always believed art should be public and interactive. Botero’s monumental sculptures, juxtaposed with Gardens by the Bay—framing the iconic architectural landmarks of Singapore, such as Marina Bay Sands and the stunning lake views—are a visual feast. His sculptures create an art environment that can be enjoyed on a very human level. As we were enjoying the sunset, another sculpture was unveiled—“The Horse”—a fitting ending as we are about to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse. This grand-scale exhibition is a must if visiting Singapore and can be enjoyed until May 18, 2026.
