Art doesn’t always have to be pretty, and graphic designer Lim Qi Quan is very aware that not very many people would be eager to purchase her art and have it on display in their homes or workplaces. However, that doesn’t mean that her art is any less important to Singapore as a whole.
Lim uses clay, paper, resin, and paint to experiment and develop highly realistic sculptures of everything to animals and fairies to fetuses and body parts. It was only through practice, instruction, and much patience that she finally developed a way to make her works as true to life as possible — even though some might find some of her masterpieces to be downright disturbing.
In one work, she has hollowed out the pages of a book, left it open, and crammed the resulting cavity with tiny fairies with broken, bloodied wings. At first glance, it appears that the group has alighted their and snuggled together to sleep, but on closer scrutiny, it becomes apparent that some arms and legs don’t have owners, many of the wings are discolored and tinged with blood, and the top head upon the heap of bodies is severed, the skin torn and bloody at the neck.
Lim paints her works with makeup from her own compact to ensure they are as real as possible. Obsessive about even the most minute details in her works, her sculptures and other various projects can take anywhere from a day to a week to fully complete. She says she likes to use her sculptures to explore the various realities present in fantasy, tall tales, and science fiction. Interestingly enough, though her work stems from fiction, Lim says that people who view her sculptures relate to themes of mortality present within them — likely helped by the hyper realistic art they’re looking at.
Lim is a freelance graphic designer, and tries to set aside at least one day per week to work on her sculptures. Though she loved playing with clay as a child, it wasn’t until she had graduated from art school that she revisited her previous passion. As a part of an art grant program, Lim attended classes on sculpting with clay, which jumpstarted her interest and led to her various sculptures. She said she was encouraged to pursue a course of study that she didn’t have time to do during school.
Whether you’re consumed by the rigors of study or work, think about taking an art class to uncover a hidden passion or hobby that might bring you joy. Visit SGArtClass.com today in order to see a long list of all the various classes you can enroll in. If you’ve always been attracted to 3-D art, take a class on sculpture or assemblage art. If you lean more toward technology, try digital art, video art, or other similar classes. You might just surprise yourself with how much fun you have in your art class.
To read more about Lim Qi Quan’s sculptures and art practices, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/graphic-designer-makes-morbidly-realistic-sculptures-from-clay.