Kenji Lim - Spend Time Not Thinking About Tomorrow
You’ll encounter three distinct bodies of work in Kenji Lim’s current solo show, though all the works are loosely related, similar to the way that humans, kangaroos and whales are all mammals. The majority of the ‘creatures’ might be best described as post-nuclear crustaceans from a rainbow world. Their shellfish inspiration is hard to ignore, but day-glo colours and gooey, blobby bits push them clearly into alien territory. Then again, I’m pretty sure I saw something similar to these actually moving on a seafood platter I once ordered on Jeju Island.
The second series of work, mostly hiding away in the back, are a gaggle of super cute “caterpillars” (Not my description! That’s what Lim named them.) that look to me like a cat that’s just tail. No body, no paws and no claws. Just a head attached to a big long piece of stripey pink, blue or calico fluff. Basically, the perfect pet.
The third works are on the wall. One’s a painting, the other a computer render. Both continue the fantastical creature theme, but they’re not as engaging as the real 3D things in the room that you can walk all the way around, seeing their shadows and how they reflect the light. Though I suspect the gallery is happy to have at least a few works that won’t entice visitors to reach out for a stroke of those glorious textures. I almost dipped a finger to check if those marbles were floating in resin or goo. I really wanted to pet the Caterpillars. And I contemplated giving Peachy Cobbler a gentle nudge to see how fast it could slither and glide. Everything looks so lifelike that you’ll forget you’re in a gallery and not a petting zoo.
Lim’s sculptural works evoked curious emotions, making me believe something so otherworldly could be real, and it left me wondering where to draw the line between character design and capital-a Art, a question that would probably provoke the same heated emotions as the debate that often rages about Art vs. Craft. Lim’s work arguably straddles all three classifications, brilliantly acknowledged by the gallery text that claims he is “part archaeological, part Fraggle Rock”.
I doubt I’d have had the same response if Lim was simply creating small sculptures of actual cats or oysters. They’d clearly be labelled as objet d’art and I’d have quickly moved along. But something strange happens when exotic visual concepts are given physical manifestations. Once a creature becomes tangible it is one step closer to the human world, enabling viewers to approach and engage with it in ways they might with a pet. Or at least believe that they can.
It’s not all that far removed from the magic that happens when Jim Henson makes Kermit sing and dance, or a ventriloquist gives voice to a dummy, except here the works are static and they’re much stronger because of it. And though I wanted to see those Cobblers slither across their plinths, actually animating them with sound or movement might have relegated them as kitsch. Lim’s sculptures clearly skirt around the limits of puppetry, but since they’re intended for display they unequivocally land in the camp of art. Or are they just campy art?
Maybe it’s the bright, vivid colours that stand out against grey winter days. Maybe it’s because some of the pieces look like something the Star Wars Cantina might offer at their 2-for-1 seafood night. Maybe it’s my irresistible urge to stroke furry fluffy things. Whatever “it” is, Kenji Lim has figured it out.
Plan your visit
‘Spend Time Not Thinking About Tomorrow’ runs until 24 March.
Visit imagemusictext.com and follow @imtgallery on Instagram for more info about the venue.
Visit kenjilim.com and follow @kenji_lim_ on Instagram for more info about the artist.
PLUS…
Check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.
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