Kim Lim, born in 1985 in Manila, Philippines, is a visual artist and interior designer with over 17 years of experience in spatial design, creative direction, and visual storytelling. Based in the Philippines, she founded the Kapit-Kulay Foundation, where she organizes art therapy sessions for incarcerated women. These experiences deeply enrich her artistic practice, bringing to life symbolic and emotionally charged works that explore the dualities of women’s lives: resilience and softness, trauma and healing, confinement and freedom
She holds a degree in interior design from the Philippine School of Interior Design (2007) and earned a certification in intensive drawing and painting in 2022 from a program accredited by the Art Renewal Center. Her transition to painting came naturally, influenced by her mastery of composition, materiality, and narrative space. She primarily uses acrylic and oil, creating layered dreamlike images inspired by myths, memories, and the psychological landscapes of the women she meets.In 2025, she held her first solo exhibition, “Teeth and Tenderness,” at Tang Contemporary Art in Bangkok. The exhibition received enthusiastic acclaim, garnering numerous mentions in local media and art publications in Bangkok and Manila. She also participated in exhibitions such as “Empower Her Palette” (2024), a project in collaboration with the French Embassy and SPARK! Philippines, aimed at amplifying the voices of Filipino female artists and demonstrating how art can be a powerful tool for healing. Her work has also been featured at the Pinto Museum, the León Gallery, the Underground Gallery, the Provenance Gallery, and 8 Rooms in Manila. Her practice continues to evolve at the intersection of art and social engagement.
Kim Lim’s paintings transport viewers to mythical and dreamlike worlds where intuition, memory, and subtle mastery embody feminine power. Her characters, part oracles and part hybrids, emerge from lush jungles and underwater realms, radiating a natural presence. Filled with symbolic animals, vibrant plants, and ancestral echoes, her works evoke the emotional landscapes women preserve and cherish. With layered narratives and surreal details, Lim invites viewers into intimate yet expansive worlds where the boundaries between self, nature, and the subconscious dissolve.