Hannah Lim: Deep Blue Phoenix

Recently Lim has become interested in the Chinese bestiary, the Classic of Mountains and Seas and have begun incorporating some of the mythical creatures within this text into some of her ‘Snuff Bottle’ sculptures and tile works. The tile here depicts a soaring Chinese phoenix, fenghuang, based on few different woodblock illustrations Lim found within the bestiary. In the Classic of Mountains and Seas, it’s written that the fenghuang 'eats, sings and dances at will and, if seen, is an omen of peace in the world'. Furthermore, each part of fenghuang's body symbolises a word. The head represents virtue, the wing represents duty, the back represents propriety, the abdomen represents credibility and the chest represents mercy.

The tile has two D-rings for hanging attached to the back. Signed and dated on the reverse.

Product Information

2024

Jesmonite, polymer clay, chalk, gloss

9.5 x 12.5 x 2 cm

About the Artist

Hannah Lim b.1998 is a London based artist working between sculpture, installation and drawing. She received her BA in sculpture from the University of Edinburgh and her MFA from the University of Oxford’s Ruskin School of Art. She has recently had solo shows with Pangolin London, Alcova Milano, Huxley-Parlour and Edinburgh Printmakers whilst also exhibiting in group shows with The Royal Scottish Academy, Bloomberg New Contemporaries, Young V&A and Christies. In February 2024 she opened a public sculpture project with Greenwich Peninsula for Lunar New Year. She has also collaborated with several brands including Dolce & Gabbana and Bvlgari.

‘My practice has been a way for me to explore parts of my cultural identity. As a woman of mixed Chinese-Singaporean and British heritage, my work explores the relationship between these cultures, looking to how this has been reflected historically through furniture design, objects and architecture’.

Collection and Shipping

This work is part of our 2024 Winter Fundraiser and will be available for collection or shipping from 14th - 20th December. Please note all items will be shipped via Royal Mail Tracked 24 unless stated otherwise.