Singapore Biennale 2016
An Atlas of Mirrors
27 OCTOBER 2016 - 26 FEBRUARY 2017
Inscription of the Island, 2016
Copper alloys with patina treatment
250 × 500 × 300 cm
Collection of the Artist
Singapore Biennale 2016 commission
This piece consists of a sculpture of a large left hand emerging from the ground, with the palm facing skyward and a pointing index finger. In Lim’s imagination, this was once part of a colossal statue that guided the ships of an ancient, mythical civilisation. But the statue collapsed and, being too large to be moved, was left to nature. Subsequently, the islanders drew a circle around the hand and used it as a sundial. The artist asks: might Singapore have had a Bronze Age to call its own? In proposing myth upon myth, Lim extends our sense of history beyond historical records. Meanwhile, our imagination is left to run wild: we ponder what lies in the earth beneath, as indicated by this lone left hand.
