On ‘Tremors’, zines and spaces in transition
By Ian Tee

A&M's Fresh Faces is where we profile an emerging artist from the region every month and speak to them about how they kick-started their career, how they continue to sustain their practice and what drives them as artists. Read our profile on Singaporean artist Ryan Lim Zi Yi here.

In 2021, you graduated with a Bachelors in Fine Arts at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, Netherlands. Can you describe your experience and if/how your practice evolved during this period?

There were three departments within the Bachelors in Fine Arts programme at the Royal Academy of Art: Painting, Sculpture or Autonoom (which is the Dutch word for “Autonomous”). At the time, I chose to be in the Autonoom department because I wanted to develop my practice without thinking within the confines of painting or sculpture. The programme required me to be independent in my learning, offering a lot of free studio time and access to the school’s resources such as the workshops. That suited me because I could spend most of my time in the studio, which I loved. It also meant I was often in the company of students, teachers and visiting guest-artist teachers with an extremely diverse range of practices.

When I look back, I do not think my practice evolved because of school. Rather, it was the change of environment, being a stranger in another country, and looking at Singapore from a distance. Being able to access art in spaces I used to only see online, and speaking with people within and outside of the arts in the Netherlands shifted my perspective towards making and experiencing art.

Ryan Lim Zi Yi, ‘At the end of it all’, 2021, installation view at Royal Academy of Art Graduation Exhibition. Image courtesy of the artist.

Who has been a mentor or an important artistic influence? And why?

They are constantly changing. I am an extremely slow reader but recently, a friend recommended Bluets by the American writer Maggie Nelson which I am gradually getting through.

But amongst all the ever-changing influences, I still cannot forget being a young student under Chen Sai Hua Kuan and Lim Soo Ngee when I was studying Sculpture during my Diploma in Fine Arts days at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Singapore. They greatly informed my framework for art making. Although my practice slides between images, moving images, text, and objects, I still approach my practice from a sculptural point of view.

“Although my practice slides between images, moving images, text, and objects, I still approach my practice from a sculptural point of view.”

What was one important piece of advice you were given?

You’d never truly know till you’ve tried.

A photo of Ryan’s old studio. Image courtesy of the artist.

Do you make a living completely off being an artist? If not, could you share what other types of work you take on (freelance or otherwise) to supplement your income? Do these activities also inform/ affect your practice?

I do not make a living completely off being an artist. Currently, I work part-time as a workshop technician in a secondary school. Assisting students with their projects and artworks is something that I thoroughly enjoy. There is a purity in how some of the students make and present their artworks. They believe they can make anything they want. I think that is a very important quality to keep. There are times when some educators bring them back down to earth and tell them to be more practical in their ideas. When that happens, I try to encourage an open-minded perspective and work together with them to achieve their ideas. Over time, I suppose it becomes a self-reminder when it comes to my own practice.

In 2021, you completed a residency at dblspce in Singapore. How did you respond to the residency site in your project? And what did you get out of the programme?

I used this residency as an opportunity to find a conclusion for a series of works titled ‘Murmurs’. ‘Murmurs’ is a work that I started back in 2018, when I was beginning to explore the impact of text in art. They are a series of paintings primarily of text and colour that were taken from existing sources: words or lines people had said to me or in passing, text from films, books, music, public advertising boards, graffiti and so on. The text would often be related to a desire to implement change and I would then paint them on cardboard and openly discard them in public areas that were meant for trash.

dblspce is located in Peninsula Shopping Centre and my residency lasted about three weeks. During my time at dblspce, I wanted to know what the existing tenants in the shopping centre felt and thought when they saw fellow tenants come and go, passers-by who frequent the shopping centre, and people like myself approaching them for conversations. After speaking with some of them and hearing the things they said, I sensed an air of excitement and exhaustion. I tried to reflect that in the final few paintings for ‘Murmurs’, which were presented alongside some short writings about the interactions. It was a very challenging residency for me to unpack and reflect upon, often pondering what my position was as a four-week dblspce resident amidst these tenants who have been there for many years.

Ryan Lim Zi Yi, ‘Tremors’, 2023, installation view at I_S_L_A_N_D_S. Image courtesy of the artist.

Setting up for 'Tremors', 2023, at I_S_L_A_N_D_S. Image courtesy of the artist.

How did the opportunity for your first solo exhibition ‘Tremors’ (2023) at I_S_L_A_N_D_S, Singapore, come about? Could you talk about the body of work presented as well as one challenge you faced preparing for it?

‘Tremors’ is the fourth chapter of an ongoing series titled ‘We will never have earthquakes’. ‘We will never have earthquakes’ is a series of installations that delves into discomfort and disruption within the process of change. Previous chapters were presented in group exhibitions which meant that the works were also responding to their respective curatorial premise. For ‘Tremors’, it was important to change the setting of the presentation and for the work to hold its own space. I wanted to present a work with recognisable objects, such as an IKEA lamp, but introduce slight unfamiliarities so that audiences who experience the work second guess what they just saw. As an exhibition space at a transitory location, I_S_L_A_N_D_S was perfect for it.

It was a challenge to plan and organise almost every aspect of the show on my own. I found myself being very paranoid about missing out on details. However, I am very grateful to have friends that offered their generous help when I needed it, and particularly the support from Pey Chuan Tan and Moses Tan during the planning stages.

Ryan Lim Zi Yi, ‘Works for a space in transition’, 2021, installation view at Hgtomi Rosa. Image courtesy of the artist.

Ryan Lim Zi Yi, ‘Works for a space in transition’, 2021, self-published zine, 50pp, digital print, 13.5 x 20.4cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

The making of artist books or zines is another important part of your practice. I am thinking about publications that are part of ‘Works for a space in transition’ and ‘Recipes for a turning point and some writings’. In these zines, there is a self-referential quality as photographs of objects from the larger installation are featured alongside text you have written. How do these publications function (in/as artworks)? Could you also say more about your interest in the artist books?

I often make zines as a part of the work. Even though they are an extension of these installations, the zines are to be experienced on their own.. They function as a documentation of the work but also a way to translate the installation to a different form. Often, these zines also feature images that were not presented in the installation, alongside with an accompanying text.

As many of my works are conceived through writing, I would envision a narrative unfolding as the work develops. Eventually, components of the installations get made and are put together in support of the narrative. The structured experience of flipping the pages of a zine provides a different reading of the components of my installation and its narrative. This is unlike engaging the work in person, where audiences have more autonomy in shaping their experience.

My interest in artist books is relatively new, and my experimentation with this form only started recently. I am very particular in my choice of materials. The everyday accessibility of a zine aligns with my ethos. The staples, paper, inkjet or digital printing are all things with which I have some sort of relationship. At times, I think it is a shame that I cannot revisit certain installations as they take up too much space. To compress it all in a zine is the closest thing that fulfils the desire to revisit certain feelings and thoughts.

Could you share your favourite art space or gallery in Singapore? Why are you drawn to that space and what does it offer to you/ your practice?

I have a great affinity with independent art spaces, such as starch, I_S_L_A_N_D_S and Comma Space. Even though such spaces often have a shelf life, they show the possibility of what art can be by presenting art in unconventional places and in unorthodox ways. Weirdly, I also think there is beauty in the dying of spaces and birth of new ones. Perhaps it is intentions that make a space and not its physical environment.

“I also think there is beauty in the dying of spaces and birth of new ones. Perhaps it is intentions that make a space and not its physical environment. ”

What are your hopes for your own local art scene, and regionally as well?

I hope we can have a greater appreciation and respect for experimentation in making and presenting. To challenge what we think we know and to uncover what we do not know. To accept uncertainty.

Photos of works-in-progress. Image courtesy of the artist.

Are there any upcoming exhibitions/projects that you would like to share?

I am currently working on the final chapter of the ‘We will never have earthquake’ series and I am looking forward to sharing it in a group exhibition with Fiona Seow, Genevieve Leong, ila and Marvin Tang. Curated by Berny Tan, it will be presented as a part of Singapore Art Week in January 2024. I will also have a residency and solo exhibition at Carp Gallery in Taichung, Taiwan, curated by Li Fang-yin, happening in March 2024.

Read other Fresh Faces interviews here.