For Tommii Lim, just having the simple shades of black and white in his creative arsenal is enough to canvas a vividly colourful career of numerous once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and meetings with trailblazers of different fields.
Graphic, minimalist, striking and informed by pop culture, Lim’s works are impressionable pictures that are almost as evocative of his story, having travelled from fabric canvases to facades, and even basketballs — following his recent contribution to Sneakertopia: Step Into Street Culture in Singapore, we speak to him about how his love for the outdoors, the importance of celebrating his Asian heritage, and how he envisions the mural of his dreams.
Hi Tommii! Can you describe what you do for a living in 10 or less words?
Explorer, adventurer, professional life liver, memory maker, lover, mural painter.
What led you to art? Was there a specific encounter or were you always inclined to visuals and aesthetics as a child?
Cartoons, comics, paintings, music, piano, going to concerts with my parents, skipping rocks on puddles in the rain, playing with friends, watching movies and music videos, all led me to art. I knew at a young age, I had to make things for a living. From hustling drawings to friends, doing graffiti on the streets or winning drawing contests at a young age, I knew I was in the right direction from the joy I got from all of these things.
More often than not, your works manifest on the medium of room walls or building facades. Why are you drawn to these large-scale canvases?
For the simple fact that large scale pieces always involve interacting with other humans whether on the inside of a commissioned building or the exterior of a building on the streets, I get to exchange energies with others. This is what my work is about, the energy I give and receive from people. My pieces act as a diary of my life and thoughts. Also, painting big, under the sun is way more fun!
How did you know that your distinctive black and white style of art was going to be your signature or niche?
I didn’t know, I didn’t go out with a “brand” mindset and say I was only going to do black and white. It just stuck, people seemed to like it and I kept doing it. I am at the point in my career now where I want to break every rule possible, especially my own. Maybe one day soon, who knows? I might just add colour! Art shouldn’t be kept in a box, it should be out in the wild, running free in the wind. I plan to keep doing whatever feels right in the moment.
How does your creative process look like? Do you come up with a concept only after you see a space or does it already form before that?
My process differs every time, but in general, it starts with a thought or an idea. Then feelings will form. Once I let those marinate, I start seeing images of things, whether they are memories or from my imagination. From here, I either do some sketching or I go straight to a wall and freestyle, it really depends on the situation. I am trying to get to a place where I can just freestyle everything, there’s a beauty of living in the moment while painting in the moment.
What role does being an Asian-American play in your art?
It plays the role of my identity or search for identity in my work. I went my whole career attempting to be an artist who’s from America, not defined by my ethnic background. Asians in America share a common feeling of not being fully welcomed in the country even if they grew up there their whole lives. When they visit their families home countries they also feel alienated as Americans which causes feelings of being nomads culturally. After all these years, I realised my identity crisis wasn’t actually a crisis but a strength and a giant part of what makes me me. So I wear it with a badge of honour now and if I feel like making an Asian inspired piece, I do it with pride. My last solo exhibition was in LA and was titled “ODD MAN OUT”. The center piece was a 10 foot Bruce Lee painting which I titled “Chino”. Bruce Lee was a racially derogatory term in America when I grew up and so I hated hearing his name as a youth. It wasn’t until I became an adult when I realised how bad ass and important he was. He was the perfect symbol for my personal Asian awakening and ever since then, I proudly represent myself as an LA based Asian-American in my works.
I also see elements of the outdoors in your work. How important is it to include the immersion of the great outdoors in your art and as part of your life as an artist?
Art without life is not worth it for me. I thrive in the outdoors, exercising, meditating, camping, exploring and seeing the world. I need the sun, the moon and everything in between to keep my sanity and give my work life. I try to incorporate some aspect of nature in all my works, like placing a sun or moon in each painting.
You have worked with an extensive list of clients that span McDonald’s, Boon The Shop, Nike and Google. What has been your most memorable project up to date and why?
Each project is special in its own way but I will have to say (excluding the most recent one at ArtScience Museum for Sneakertopia!), my most memorable project was the Basketball I created for Kobe Bryant and Nike Basketball. I was approached by Nike Basketball and Be-Street magazine to paint a basketball for Kobe in conjunction with his retirement campaign and sneaker release. I made the ball and was blessed to have had the opportunity to meet him before his last NBA game and present him the ball. He was all that everyone said about him, a nice human, a humble man and a genuinely curious person. He asked me many questions about my process, why I do what I do and why I made the ball the way that I did. A year or 2 later, I saw a behind the scenes interview with him for his academy award winning short, “Dear Basketball” where they interviewed him at his house. In the background of his minimalist decor, laid the ball on his shelf. That, for me, was my academy award.
At Sneakertopia, you unveiled your new work MANDO (2023) for the first time. What is the inspiration and story behind this piece?
MANDO is an homage to the memory of my late father John Young Lim who passed a year ago. It is a piece that is inspired by the memories triggered by an old pair of sneakers that can take you back to moments in time like that of a father protecting his child while going on adventures. The hit Disney series, “The Mandalorian” is about this exact concept. A father protecting his child. I used the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda as an analogy for all the parents and their children out in this world living in their own galaxies far far away. Love is the simple key we all need and sometimes forget about in this complex thing we call life.
What about the story behind your most memorable sneaker purchase?
My most memorable recent sneaker purchase, ironically, was a gift. I had been looking for some cool skate shoes to skate around with on my new collaboration skate deck I had recently released with Carver Skateboards but couldn’t find any in my size (11.5 – 12 US) anywhere in Singapore. I had the fortune of meeting Mandeep of Limited Edt and he laced me up with some crispy new white Nike SB’s. The hunt for the shoe, meeting Mandeep and other skaters, and being able to skate on them in beautiful Singapore while painting MANDO was definitely a life memory and is the reason I love art and sneakers.
Last but not least, what is your dream location to create a mural for?
My dream location would be painting a mural in a remote location somewhere far from the world where my friends and I would adventure through nature to get there. We would camp, explore, laugh and make art together under the sun and moon.
Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up with our March 2023 issue.
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