Singaporean artist Qixuan Lim’s Tim Burton-inspired sculptures challenge ideas of beauty and tastefulness
- Her macabre miniature sculptures featuring baby heads and human organs in popular food items often elicit squirms of disgust
- The Instagram star’s work has been displayed in cities around the world but, despite critical success, she has no plans go mass-market any time soon
From tiny baby heads squashed into sardine cans to a slice of tart full of miniature human organs, the creations of Singaporean artist Qixuan Lim are not for the faint-hearted.
The 28-year-old with the Instagram handle @Qimmyshimmy attracts a range of barbed comments. One internet user spams Bible verses on her social media posts in an attempt to “cleanse her soul”. Others slam her works as “disgusting”.
With more than 187,000 followers, she says being hated is an everyday thing for her – and she understands why. Her macabre pieces – almost always photographed in pretty containers against tasteful backgrounds of pastel pink or pristine white – frequently elicit raw emotions, and often a squirm of disgust.
But while many are quick to judge Lim’s artistic rendering of baby heads and organs, some take time to understand her challenging work and express admiration for her bold vision and polished technique.
When people finally come to a conclusion about her art, it’s never lukewarm: they either love it or they hate it, she says.
“The work I create is really to challenge what is our idea of beautiful and ugly, or tasteful and tasteless,” Lim says. “One of the interesting reactions I like about my art is those kinds of questions.”