Waterpiece

Kim Lim (1936 - 1997)

Bronze sculpture

1979

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  • About the work
    Location
    Country: Other
    City: public exhibitions
    Waterpiece stacks five curvilinear water basins one atop another, according to size. Born in Singapore and trained in London, Kim Lim explored the rhythms of life throughout her work, with a particular interest in the elements of water, air and the changing quality of light. She travelled to China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Egypt, Malaysia and Turkey, finding inspiration in the visual cultures of ancient civilisations. Lim’s sculptures of the 1960s and 1970s were often carved in wood and explored a narrow range of shapes with an inventive emphasis on rhythm and repetition. In 1977, Kim Lim was the only woman and non-white artist to have exhibited at the First Hayward Annual exhibition at Hayward Gallery, London – alongside figures such as Frank Auerbach and Kenneth Martin. From 1980, Lim turned to stone carving and continued to make prints and drawings alongside her sculptural practice.
  • About the artist
    Born in Singapore in 1936, Kim Lim moved to the UK at the age of 18 to study at St Martin’s School of Art in London (1954–56) and continued her studies at the Slade School of Art (1956–60), where she studied printmaking. After graduating in 1960, Lim exhibited her work widely. She also travelled extensively with her husband, the sculptor William Turnbull. Lim’s sculptures of the 1960s and 1970s were often carved in wood and explored a narrow range of forms and shapes with great inventiveness. From 1980, Lim turned to stone carving and continued to make prints and drawings alongside her sculptural practice. Throughout her career Lim worked without assistance, and paid careful attention to the minute detail of curve, line and surface finish.
  • Explore
    Places
    Subjects
    abstract, water
    Materials & Techniques
    bronze
  • Details
    Artist
    Kim Lim (1936 - 1997)
    Title
    Waterpiece
    Edition
    2/3
    Date
    1979
    Medium
    Bronze sculpture
    Dimensions
    height: 11.00 cm, width: 51.00 cm, depth: 51.00 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from Nicola Jacobs Gallery, September 1981
    Inscription
    on base: KL [monogram] 79
    GAC number
    15239