Queen of all things macabre and stomach turning, artist Lim Qixuan, better known as Qimmyshimmy, sits down with Tatler Singapore for an interview about her unconventional artistic oeuvre
Baby heads wrapped up in a dumpling wrapper, bodily organs nestled like the char siu in a bun and infantile limbs resting on a plate in a dim sum bamboo basket.
Welcome to the world of Qimmyshimmy.
Depending on who you are, artist Lim Qixuan, better known as Qimmyshimmy, just might be the sculptor of your scariest nightmares or beguiling dreams because her works boldly celebrate motifs and ideas that involve unearthing and exposing the morbid and creepy such as various bodily organs and disjointed infant limbs.
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She doesn’t mind shocking people with disturbing thematic concepts of disfigured and severed infantile imagery and casting them into delectable vessels of food—which could be considered as sacrilegious by some—because she actively seeks to create dissident and thought-provoking conversations as people view her artworks and entire artistic oeuvre. Her openness to criticism and celebration of clashing dialogues with regard to her works highlight her mission to make art come alive and the multi-dimensionality of her sculptures also invoke this philosophy.
We speak to the artist about her inspiration points and sculpting journey so far.
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As a self-described “accidental sculptor”, what initially inspired and encouraged you to get into the sculpting business?
Qimmyshimmy (Q) I call myself an “accidental sculptor{ because it was not something I intended to do when I started my creative journey. I was formally trained in graphic design and am now working full-time as a UX designer. I have always been experimenting with many different kinds of art forms growing up, but was never really able to find my personal style until I discovered sculpting. Sculpting gives my ideas a tactility and dimension that I am not able to achieve through illustration or painting.
Your works emanate a bold aesthetic juxtaposition in that you combine the monstrous and freakish form with the tasty food motifs that are present in your sculptures. How did this idea come about and what do you hope for people to experience when they view your works?
Q My works have always been about finding that sweet spot between beauty and horror. I achieve a sense of visual surrealism by taking the familiar and turning it into something strange and surprising. Because of that, it is most common for me to get my inspiration from everyday things and activities—like my trips to the supermarket and the patisserie have inspired my Canned and SweetTooth series respectively.
I got into working with the food motif as there is such a rich history and strong association with food looking desirable and seductive to our senses. That makes it a terrific motif to work with, because when this notion of beauty is replaced with somethings that one might find strange or even repulsive, it creates that undeniable tension—the push and pull effect of feeling attracted and repulsed at the same time.
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