In the mid-1960s, Singapore-born artist Kim Lim made her mark on British television, speaking confidently about her monumental sculpture Day, which stood alongside works by renowned artists like Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Lim’s bold statement that a sculpture “must be seen as a whole” applied not only to her art but to how she wanted to be viewed. As an ethnic minority in post-war London, she refused to be categorized by gender or race, insisting that she be recognized simply as an artist.
Lim, who passed away in 1997, spent her life creating abstract sculptures and prints that drew inspiration from ancient Asian and Greek civilizations, as well as Western modernism. Despite exhibiting alongside prominent names in her lifetime, her legacy was largely forgotten after her death. However, recent retrospectives, including Kim Lim: The Space Between at the National Gallery Singapore, have reignited interest in her work, solidifying her role in 20th-century art.
The exhibition traces Lim’s career through over 150 works, showcasing her cross-cultural artistic language. Curator Joleen Loh notes that Lim’s contributions were often overlooked in art history, which tends to be patriarchal. Yet Lim was cautious about how she was framed, rejecting labels that focused on her ethnicity or gender.
Lim’s minimalist sculptures were informed by her Asian roots, a perspective that set her apart from her contemporaries. Her work frequently referenced natural forms, drawing from her travels across Asia to Cambodia, Japan, and Indonesia. She believed these journeys were integral to her artistic education.
Throughout her career, Lim’s sculptures explored negative space and form, with early works like Abacus (1959) and Pegasus (1962) reflecting her fascination with the relationship between objects and the spaces around them. Her later works, such as the limestone sculpture River-Run (1992-93), evoke the natural forces of erosion and weathering, mirroring the artist’s own experiences navigating the physical and emotional challenges of her life.
Kim Lim’s life and art were shaped by her tenacity. As she once remarked, being a woman in art required perseverance, but it was not a disadvantage. Her legacy, celebrated in this exhibition, highlights the quiet yet powerful presence she brought to the world of abstract sculpture.
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