Hannah Lim Reimagines Chinoiserie in Oversized Snuff Bottle Sculptures
Hannah Lim, a London-based artist, creates unique sculptures that blend her British-Singaporean heritage with influences from historical ceramics and classical Chinese literature. She focuses on Chinoiserie, aiming to reclaim this 17th and 18th-century art style. Her snuff bottles, inspired by 17th-century Chinese designs, are larger than usual and reflect her personal history and research, featuring hidden charms that reference traditional motifs. Lim works with polymer clay and Jesmonite to shape animals and mythical beings. Her newest pieces, inspired by The Classic of Mountains and Seas, are on display in her solo show, Reimaginings, at the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath until November 14, with upcoming exhibitions planned for Paris and a public piece in Paddington, London.
Key facts
- Hannah Lim is a London-based artist of British-Singaporean heritage.
- Her work engages with Chinoiserie, the 17th- and 18th-century European imitation of Chinese and Asian motifs.
- Snuff bottles emerged as a consumer trend in China in the 17th century, holding powdered scented tobacco from the Americas.
- Lim's snuff bottles are several inches tall and often require two hands, unlike traditional diminutive examples.
- Each of Lim's snuff bottles contains a hanging charm hidden within its lid, referencing the tiny spoon in traditional snuff bottle lids.
- She uses polymer clay and Jesmonite, a casting material made from mineral powder and liquid acrylic polymer, plus chalk, acrylic paint, and gloss.
- Her recent work draws on The Classic of Mountains and Seas, an ancient Chinese text describing more than 550 mountains and 300 waterways.
- Her solo exhibition Reimaginings runs through November 14 at the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath.
- Works will be on view later this month with Cynthia Corbett Gallery in Paris.
- A new public artwork will be unveiled later this year in Paddington, London.
Entities
Artists
- Hannah Lim
Institutions
- Museum of East Asian Art
- Cynthia Corbett Gallery
- Colossal
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Bath
- Paris
- France
- Paddington
- China
- Americas