Lim Charlotte, Artist and Student, Back lane of Ginett, Singapore
We first met Charlotte last year at her group show The New Now at Gajah Gallery. We were so blown away by her sense of style, that we just had to catch up separately to find out more.
Thanks for agreeing to talk to us Charlotte!
Hang on, Iām āLim Charlotteā ok? [laughs] I have this thing where I must have “Lim” at the front ā it just happened that way in my birth certificate and for a time, I was pretty anal about it. But, I do also have a friend called Charlotte Lim, whoās also an artist. So now Iām pretty firm that Iām āLim Charlotteā and sheās āCharlotte Lim.ā
Tell us about the outfit you were wearing when we first met you.
I actually gave that one some thought ā I wanted to look fashionable, but not like I was trying too hard. I wanted to wear something form-fitting but not look overly-sexualized. So I decided to wear pants, hoping that I would look more manly that way. They were silk pyjama pants and I wore them with red boots. They were supposed to be about me making a statement.
Why don’t you want to present yourself in a sexualized way ā is it because your works are sometimes of yourself, in the nude?
Exactly.
I donāt think itās a big problem when in an “art”Ā setting, because people understand that work is work. Outside of that, it might be a problem. I was just afraid that if I were to meet anyone important, I wouldnāt want to be seen as a flighty 19-year-old. Ā I also worry about being seen as a kid, or a (young) girl.
Do you feel that youth works against you as an artist?
I donāt think it works against meā¦ people just approach me in a different way, and I want to come in with as clean a slate as possible. But then again, the fact that Iām sometimes nervous and flighty and I stutter… well, thatās part of my charm and I shouldnāt try to hide that!
When youāre young though, you have to read the room and decide how to behave. When youāre older you get to set the tone more, and I look forward to being able to do that! When youāre young, you do get to have more fun, but also people possibly take you less seriously.
How do you dress for school? Tell us about the outfit you have on today.
My mum bought these overalls for me. There are days when I want to look very nice and days where I just donāt give a fuck. The days where I donāt give a fuck, I’ll just wear a pair of menās basketball shorts with a bodysuit, and I’ll Ā be like āYeah this is fashionable!ā
For days like today, when I just want to be able to work; denim is great because if I get paint on it, I will just wear it again.
My pin is from a local artist by the name ofĀ Djohan.
My shoes are from Dorothy Perkins. My bracelet is courtesy of an artist friend of mine, and my bangs are courtesy of well, me- I cut them myself 3 days ago! My bag is Prada, it’s from my aunt.
Are we allowed to ask you about your underarms?
Of course, you are!
I havenāt shaved for about 5 months, but Iāve trimmed the hair a bit. Iāve always had this admiration for women on social media who are natural and free with their womanhood. I thought it was awesome and I wished I had the balls to do the same. I very much do want to be seen as attractive, so that was a problem at first. I did think, āWhat if no one wants to date me after this?!ā
But then I was in Australia with a friend, who I had a crush on, heās just this super sweet guy. He told me about a girl who he liked, and who he thought was such a babe, and when he showed me her picture- she had no makeup on, her body hair was untouched. I just thought, āWowā¦I want to be talked about like that.ā
I was so amazed that someone like him actually existed, and it made me realise that I only wanted to hang out with people who would react in this way, people who could appreciate all kinds of beauty.
I actually think (the underarm hair) is a really good filter for me to meet more progressive people. For the first few months, I was still self- conscious and would try to hide my arms a bit, but now I donāt even think about it anymore. I donāt shave anywhere else on my body either ā legs, whatever.
My underarms do get hot though, itās a bit like having cushions under them!
But you know, I also realise itās not fair to expect other women to behave this way. I do, after all, have the privilege of not having crazy amounts of body hair. And you know, I do wear eyeliner and makeup – thatās not something that Iām willing to give up yet. I feel that it gives me a presence. However, I do want to get to the stage where I can go without them, and just say yeahā¦ āFuck it!ā