Justin Lim – Suburbia moon

Richard Koh Fine Art Singapore proudly presents Suburbia Moon, a solo exhibition by Kuala Lumpur-based artist Justin Lim. The exhibition will run from 9 November to 14 December 2024 and will showcase a new body of work that contemplates the intersections between interior and exterior spaces, exploring the subtle connections between memory, identity, and the quiet resonance of suburban life.

In Suburbia Moon, Justin Lim draws from the quietude of suburban landscapes and the intimate spaces we occupy, offering an immersive reflection on the overlooked beauty in the mundane. His practice, which began as a meditation on the objects surrounding him during the pandemic lockdown, has since evolved into exploring how space and objects influence personal narratives.

“Suburbia Moon continues this narrative of spaces as vessels of memory, identity, and belonging,” Lim explains. Growing up in a sprawling suburban neighborhood in Kuala Lumpur, Lim finds familiarity in the windows, terrace houses, and ornamental plants that make up his compositions. His work invites viewers to slow down and contemplate the personal and emotional resonance found in these familiar settings.

Through a series of intricately arranged scenes, Lim transforms everyday objects into compositions that evoke a sense of playfulness, contemplation, and psychological depth. The artist likens his approach to that of a flower arranger, meticulously selecting and positioning items to convey a specific mood. In these paintings, the suburban nightscapes and interiors become metaphors for imagined realities, reflective of the subtle dialogue between our external surroundings and inner world.

This exhibition offers a window into Lim’s deeply personal process, where the simple act of arranging everyday objects becomes a tool for reflecting on broader themes of solitude, memory, and the subconscious. Suburbia Moon invites viewers to reconnect with the quiet moments that often go unnoticed in the chaos of daily life.

Justin Lim (b.1983, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) completed his postgraduate studies in 2006 with the Master of Art (Fine Art) program by The Open University UK conducted at Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore after obtaining a BA(Hons) Fine Art majoring in painting. He has exhibited widely in Southeast Asia in various solo & group exhibitions and was the recipient of the 2008 Malaysia-Australia Visual Artist Residency at Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia. He has since held residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, USA (2011 – Asian Artist Fellowship/ Freeman Fellowship), Red Gate Gallery, Beijing (2013 – Khazanah Nasional Artist Residency) and The Tasmanian College of the Arts, University of Tasmania, Australia (2016 – International Artist in residence).

Selected group exhibitions include the Asian Art Biennale: Viewpoints & Viewing points, Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (2009), Modern Love, Earl Lu Gallery / Institute of Contemporary Art, Singapore (2015), Asia Young 36 / Asia Contemporary, a survey of contemporary Asian art practices, Jeonbuk Museum of Art, Jeonju, South Korea (2016) and Contemporary Chaos, curated by Demetrio Paparoni, Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Norway (2018).

He currently lives and works in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.