WOAW Gallery welcomes a solo exhibition by Hong Kong architect and artist, Dr. William Lim, titled In Search of Nocturnal Worlds. Lim’s latest series of 15 paintings is inspired by his fondest memory of Singapore, visiting the Night Safari with his family over 25 years ago. The concept of a night safari, with its sense of intrigue, fear, and beauty, serves as the foundation for Lim’s art. This exhibition also celebrates the artist’s first showing in Singapore.

“When I first visited the Night Safari in Singapore, it was an amazing combination of savage and control, dark yet colourful, mysterious and entertaining, tranquil and pulsating, and opened me to a nocturnal world I did not know about,” says Lim. “Some of these descriptions fit perfectly the vision and exhibitions at WOAW Gallery, and I took this opportunity to create this new series of paintings to express the same complicated emotions of a mysterious, nocturnal, imaginary world that is fragile and eternal.”

Lim, a graduate of the Department of Architecture at Cornell University, has long been intertwined in the world of architecture and art. As the founder of CL3, a prestigious architecture company, Lim has won numerous prestigious awards for his work. He has also participated in many international exhibitions, including the Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy (2006 and 2010) and the Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (2007, 2009, 2012 and 2017).

In Search of Nocturnal Worlds gives a glimpse into his creativity beyond the realm of architecture. He draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including his travels, memories, and daily experiences, to produce works that are both visually stunning and thought-provoking. The exhibition will not only be a celebration of Lim’s artistic achievements but also a tribute to the importance of nature and the need to preserve it. The paintings on display are a testament to his unique vision and his ability to blend different elements seamlessly into his art.

“I’ve aways been painting since my childhood, and a lot of elements I like to use were influenced by the Chinese belief of happiness and prosperity. I was thinking about what Singapore means to me, and it kept coming back to the Night Safari,” says Lim. “So going against my typical influences and bright colours, I went for the Yin to my Yang, where I would experiment with painting nighttime, showing animals and wildlife in a savage and mysterious light. Take for example a leopard, which is often seen as very attractive and feminine, but holds a danger lurking within.”

His paintings are dark, dense, textured, and colourful all at once, blending reality and fantasy into a labyrinth of intricate compositions. Using his recollection of the Night Safari, images of wild beasts, and the elements of jewellery design, Lim produced imaginative depictions of nature and architecture. It helps to remind viewers of the delicate balance between man-made structures and the natural world.

“When I did photography, I was always trying to search for the darkness within the dark, and the light within the light, trying to find the most intense colours and effects. All that comes out in the nocturnal world, where elements are illuminated in different ways, and I can layer my painting to play with that in my composition,” says Lim. “In the process, there was a lot of coming back and reworking the paintings, where I would be better able to explore the relationship between the figurative and abstraction, which marks the essence of this series.”

Through his experimental painting technique, Lim’s art serves as a reminder to respect and preserve nature, urging viewers to appreciate its beauty and importance. As architecture encroaches on the sacred space of nature, Lim’s artworks on this occasion strives to highlight the importance and relevance of preserving nature for generations to come.

In Search of Nocturnal Worlds runs from 2nd June to 22nd July 2023 at WOAW Gallery Singapore, 4 Ann Siang Hill. More information available here