Richard Koh Fine Art (RKFA) is proud to announce its 4th consecutive participation in Art Stage Singapore. RKFA has undertaken a project booth at the fair. For this installment, RKFA will present a comprehensive showing of Malaysia’s emerging artist, Justin Lim.

In his early years as an artist and fresh off an undergraduate degree programme at the Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore, Justin’s art skewed towards abstract expressionist tendencies, with enigmatic works that recalled the paint-splattered canvases of Jackson Pollock. His paint was found materializing as energetic marks in his paintings, but the years that followed these nascent beginnings saw Justin’s art morphing into something altogether different; the human figure began to make an appearance, symbols and icons slowly crept into his compositions, and visual narratives started to unfold before the viewer. All this meant that concrete stories could now be gleaned from Justin’s works, and the artist’s voice as a visual storyteller began to become more audible.

Today’s body of work, entitled There is No Other Paradise continues along this narrative path, with strong sociopolitical commentaries underlying each work. Societal conundrums are expressed profoundly through the topics of race and identity, and the arguments in this body of work stem from the multifarious nature of Malaysia, Justin’s home. In itself, There is No Other Paradise serves as a small nation of artworks where different materials and mediums cohabit. Acrylics on canvas form the majority of the citizens, printed plexiglass paintings inhabit another territory, and a fiberglass and video projection installation makes an appearance, too. The latter is a new addition to Justin’s oeuvre, and There is No Other Paradise is a product of both invention and introspection.

About the artist:

Justin Lim (b. 1983 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) completed his postgraduate studies in 2006 with the Master of Art (Fine Art) programme by The Open University UK conducted at Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts, Singapore after obtaining a BA(Hons) Fine Art majoring in painting. He has exhibited widely in Southeast Asia in various solo and group exhibitions and his works have been acquired for public and private collections. He was awarded the 2008 Malaysia-Australia Visual Artist Residency at Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia and represented Malaysia at the 2009 Asian Art Biennial held at the Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. He was also the recipient of the 2011 Asian artist fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center, USA and the 2013 Khazanah Nasional Artist Residency hosted at the Red Gate Gallery, Beijing, China. He lives and works in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

-Richard Koh Fine Art

Image: © Justin Lim
2 Marikh
2013
Acrylic on canvas
182 x 144cm