Audrey Lim at NY20+ | An art-fashion journey
Audrey Lim, winner of a Special Prize in Arte Laguna Prize 18th edition, has concluded her experience at the residency NY20+ in China. Let’s discover her journey!
Would you like to tell me something about yourself and the start of your artistic career?
I first started to be interested in art was after taking art therapy lessons for 3 months in 2017. Somehow it sparked off my desire to learn to paint further and I did using the medium of acrylic with palette knives on canvas for fun. My first art teacher said I had good colour sense so he encouraged me to carry on. Within 8 months I joined a group of Malaysians to attend an exhibition in Seoul, Korea under his leadership. Until 2019 March I started to move away from this medium and began to be interested in contemporary fine art batik on cotton medium. I switched medium was because I felt like learning an art medium which forms a part of an important Malaysian history and cultural heritage – “batik” (defined as writing with wax’). The rest is history as you know now.
You have been chosen as the winner for one of the Special Prizes of Arte Laguna Prize. Congratulations! How did you feel when you found out?
2023 was my 3rd time joining the competition. Actually, I told myself I would give up if my art doesn’t interest the judges. I really was surprised when I saw the online announcement of the Special Prize awarded to me. I had 2 weeks of feeling disbelief, I posted in my Facebook. I was feeling on top of the world but it had finally sank in when I was asked by Nong Yuan what was my creation plan going to be and I had to fill up a form describing it. I spent 3 weeks researching and thinking what it would be.
During this residency program in NY20+ you had the aim to create a brand new project. Would you like to tell me more about that? How did you get your inspiration?
My creation plan was based on the following thoughts and criteria:
- As a young child I was always sketching girls wearing different clothes. I wanted to be a fashion designer but circumstance didn’t permit this ambition to be fulfilled, and I got my Bachelor degree in Physical Education-Sports Science, Higher Diploma in PR, Marketing and Sales and a Master in Business Administration.
- I didn’t want my art to be just placed on walls of art galleries/homes of art collectors but to be portable and be appreciated by more people from all walks of life. Hence to sew my artwork onto a dress.
- I wanted to incorporate my batik art with part of Sichuan’s most significant cultural motifs the Golden Sun Bird and China’s cultural costume – the hanfu.
So the main inspiration behind the whole idea was to paint one of the most beautiful places on earth found in Sichuan, Jiuzhaiguo, that later gave the title to my artwork: “4 seasons of Jiuzhaiguo”. I could only paint it because I can’t go there due to my sickness of altitude. I was inspired and guided to paint using photographs published.
Have you experienced some difficulties during this program, related to your artistic process? If yes, how did you overcome that?
Yes I did experience some difficulties. Firstly, my rather rare batik medium involves a certain kind of studio set-up, which of course I didn’t expect it to be fully equipped for me, so I had to compromise on certain areas. I also went through a very intense anxiety of what the outcome would be, as it was my first time painting scenery and sewing an original batik art onto a dress. I had done trial paintings for all four seasons of Jiuzhaiguo in Malaysia before going to NY20+, but they were not very satisfactory. I overcame all the difficulties faced by communicating better with the staff and psyching myself up, telling myself that I could and will paint better amidst a new and strange environment. This project tested not only my patience but my resilience as an artist who is of Chinese descent but born and grew up outside of China, to adapt very quickly and fulfil my mission of painting a quality piece of creation.
What are your projects for the future? How do you think this experience will help you in the future?
Being in NY20+ for my Art Residency was absolutely “magical”. I painted exceedingly well, surrounded by this serene, beautiful place filled with art in every nook and corner. I slept, ate and breathed art everyday. I was inspired to continue on with my art applied to fashion for the future projects collaborating with a Malaysian who was awarded the Cannes 2019 Global Short Films for Best Fashion Styling, Karl Ho and Dato Lewre Lew from LewreBespoke, who has dressed Crown Princess Kate Middleton.He created the Qing Dynasty Empress inspired ” YinYang” shoes to match the hanfu. This experience has helped me find my inspiration for future paintings which will probably be a series of ‘Blue & White” and an installation art which title and concept I shall not reveal now. It also helped elevate my painting skills in my batik medium as I was compelled to think how I could achieve certain colours and effects desired when facing the challenges of painting “4 Seasons of Jiuzhaiguo.”