Venue: iPreciation
50 Cuscaden Road, HPL House #01-01, Singapore 249724
Private Preview: Thursday, November 15, 2018 (By Invitation Only)
Exhibition Opens to Public: November 16 – December 1, 2018
iPreciation will be presenting a solo exhibition featuring artist Lim Soo Ngee (b. 1962, Singapore) which opens to public from November 16, 2018 until December 1, 2018. Ritual · In Progress 「儀式 · 進行中」will feature series of sculptural works as well as several prints. Lim’s inspiration largely stems from the natively sourced wooden carved statues of ancestors found in South East Asian aboriginal villages, which is used as a significant emblem of identity. The ancestor statues are treated with honour and respect as it represents a rich history of its forefathers and a narrative of their land.
In particular, a series of seven wood carvings titled We, The People (2018) shows Lim depicting a story of an ordinary person switching between seven different personalities facing various scenarios. The story manifests in a never-ending cycle, as the character changes faces transforming into different roles and people, day by day without fail. This consistent adaptation to life’s changing dynamism is Lim’s interpretation of the term “Rituals”. In this exhibition, he also fulfils his long-time dream of creating 100 pieces of figurines for a separate series. Ultimately, he hopes to present and express contemporary stories of life which is guided either consciously or unconsciously through rituals using his own traditional carving techniques.
Lim Soo Ngee (b. 1962, Singapore) is currently senior lecturer at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore. He earned a Diploma in Fine Art (Sculpture) from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1989 before continuing to pursue a Master of Fine Arts (Sculpture) from Edinburgh College of Art in 1997. Lim’s approach to sculpture is immensely intimate, musing over the different relationships between humanity, the environment and society. As such, his works usually present themselves as whimsical narratives that offer a commentary on the human condition.
Lim has represented Singapore in numerous exhibitions both locally and internationally, and is a regular contributor to many international sculpture symposiums, such as the inaugural International Woodcarving Symposium, Singapore in 2007, Hong Kong International Sculpture Symposium 2009 as well as the International Sculpture symposium of the 11th Asian Art Festival, where his work was featured and has now become the permanent collection of the Asian Sculpture Theme Park in Inner Mongolia, China. In 2016, Lim was selected to participate in the “ Singapore Biennale – An Atlas of Mirrors” as a commissioned artist. His works are also in the collection of the Singapore National Art Gallery, Esplanade Singapore, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Singapore, Ngee Ann Kongsi Singapore and other local and international private collections.