5 Questions with Cheungha Lim

Through my love of photography and most especially (even fanatically so) Streetart, I have been fortunate enough to have met and become friends with quite a few of these artists and this is one of their stories.

My first encounter with Cheungha was shortly after "Outpost Art from the Streets" on Cockatoo Island back in 2011.  I was contacted via Facebook by another artist (Andros) who asked if I would be interested in doing some preview shots for the first Painting Grounds Live Art Exhibition.

Naturally I said yes!  We met up at Tortuga Studios and I was suddenly catapulted into a world I could only ever hope of entering. Amidst all the creative noises, music and quiet chaos, I noticed some amazing pieces of flowingly liquidity type art and instantly fell in love with them.

Those pieces belonged to the artist Cheungha Lim.  Over time we have become attuned with each other's passions via photography and the mandatory facebook communicado.

So here are my Five Questions with Cheungha Lim.

What inspires you?

Salvador Dali, Escher, Selena French, a few friends who are also artists (like David Crystalface and Sebastian Grant) and different genres of music also make me see colours and rhythm on paper

How did your style evolve?

I actually started drawing properly when my roommate (Elise) gave me a leftover pack of crayons and pastels.  I just kept drawing & painting using different types of mediums such as lipsticks that were given to me by my mother.  It's been nearly 10 years.

Whenever I'm in a situation where I have to wait then generally I will have my pad and doodle away, or (basically) whenever I can, especially if I'm tense or bored.

Do you find yourself becoming creative through emotion?

I find myself relieved when I draw: after a fight or being sensitive to others who are aggressive. So yes I'm reactively creative, especially after traumatic or tense situations.

Are you one of those "this is the timeline and I must achieve a target by a  certain date" people?

No.  I am not one of those people.  I drive myself because I am passionate and inspired: not for money or infringing my freedom by meeting a deadline, which is to me very restricting as an artist.  

Yet the contradicting factor to me is although a lot of the shows and exhibitions do have deadlines, if I am meant to then I will "synchronise" as I like to put it.

What do you think the future holds for Cheungha?

I've got live art coming up for "This Just Happened" with Electra de Christabelle and David Crystalface, a Group Show at MA Gallery with El Camino Events (21st June 2013) and I'm also planning to do a Solo/Collab show in the upcoming year.

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So there you have it.  Cheungha has kindly allowed me to post some of her works in this little piece and hopefully many of you, like me , can see the beauty which is simple in  its complexity, hypnotic yet calming in her work and possibly buy a piece at one of her upcoming gigs.