Page 28 - Studio International - November 1968

The work of Kim Lim

Gene Baro in discussion with Kim Lim

G.B.: You first came to England from Singapore in 1954. Was it your mainly for the textural shift it afforded. I was using wood in its
purpose to study art here? natural state and emphasized its quality. The bark, for instance, was
K.L.: Yes. I went to St Martin's to do a general course, which in- retained as part of the whole. It was never made to seem a foreign
cluded sculpture. I immediately decided sculpture was what I body imposed. When I say I used colour, I mean that I dealt with
wanted to do. the natural colours of the material. I whitened the wood, I didn't
paint it.
How do you explain that reaction? What was it that attracted you?
Sculpture was direct, physically involving. Painting seemed more Were the forms you were finding in your carving natural forms, forms directly
conceptual and remote. I liked the act of carving—I am not a out of nature?
modeller, modelling never attracted me. Of course, at that time, No. They weren't natural forms at all ; only the materials were natural.
every act was a discovery. With carving, it was form that was dis- The forms were non-referential. They were roughly geometrical, but
covered, working into a mass of a certain size. their object was not of visual geometry. For instance, there was one
sculpture based upon the triangle; it was in fact a triangular wedge
What sort of form? repeated six times. The forms were arranged in the rhythm of opposi-
In those days—even then— I wasn't so much interested in form in the tions. Alternately, the apexes and flat sides of the wedges were facing.
round, in defined volume. I wanted the forms to be made clear It was the rhythm, in the physical and emotional sense, and not the
through their edges. I experimented with certain shapes where a basic unit, that was my concern.
change of plane was accentuated by a change of texture or colour.
In those days, working in wood, I used to whiten pieces, scorch the What were the sources of your sculptural ideas at the time we are talking
wood. Sometimes I would include the bark in the total organization, about? I don't mean what were your pressures and influences as a student, but

far left, R.R., 1965
painted steel, 53 x 48 in.

above left, Maquette, 1965
cast aluminium, 6+ in. high
left, Split, 1966
anodized aluminium, 32 in.
high