Vibrant works of art
First UK solo show for artist Hannah Lim staged in the capital
EDINBURGH PRINTMAKERS opens the first solo exhibition in Scotland by emerging Singaporean-British artist Hannah Lim, whose vibrant artworks have captured the attention of audiences worldwide, ahead of further shows in New York and Milan later this year. The London based artist is working in printmaking for the first time as she continues her exploration of East and South East Asian culture and its appropriation for Western audiences.
Speaking on her work artist Hannah Lim said: “As a person of mixed Singaporean and British heritage both my research and practice has come to engage with the colonial connotations of the relationship between the East and the West. These connotations are most evident in themes such as Orientalism and its relationship to Chinoiserie, an 18th century aesthetic trend in which elements of Chinese design were recreated in relation to European aesthetics and tastes.
“I attempt to re-imagine and reclaim ideas and designs associated with Chinoiserie, which have in the past had problematic colonial undertones. Cultural designs are shared as opposed to appropriated, it is no longer about one culture being moulded to the demands of another.
I’m intrigued by the crossover of ideas, creatures and anthropomorphism that exists in these Chinese and Medieval bestiaries. There’s something intriguing about this shared desire to understand and give meaning to these real and imagined ‘beasts’.
This whole avenue of research ultimately evolved from exploring my ChineseSingaporean family’s relationship with Christianity and how that has impacted my understanding and exposure to certain aspects of Chinese culture, overtime it has evolved into something more playful and peculiar.”
Hannah Lim Ornamental Mythologies at Edinburgh Printmakers, Castle Mills, 1 Dundee Street EH3 9FP
Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm edinburghprintmakers.co.uk