For someone who has never had a pet cat, artist-illustrator Lim Heng Swee is remarkably accurate in capturing their quirks and habits in his artwork.
Peeking ominously from behind houseplants or precariously perched on top of mountains in lieu of snowcaps, the cats in his Cat Landscape and Cat And Plant series have undoubtedly captured the hearts of cat lovers around the world.
“I don’t think you have to own a cat to appreciate them. I simply enjoy drawing them because they’re so fun and interesting, each with its own little personality. When I look at them, I see infinite creative possibilities,” says the Kuala Lumpur-based Lim, whose illustrations have earned him a growing following around the world.
Known for his minimalist style, visual puns and technicolour palettes, Lim’s original digital illustrations were previously only available as prints or merchandise, such as phone cases. But after much prompting from his fans, Lim decided to trade his digital tools for a paintbrush and canvas, recreating favourites from the two series by hand.
The resulting paintings are currently on view in Lim’s second solo exhibition Catopia, showing at the PapanHaus gallery in Petaling Jaya, Selangor until Sept 20.
The exhibition features 30 of Lim’s works, as well as a preview of his sixth book, the wordless picture book Le Voyage, which was released in France under French publisher Grasset this month.
Le Voyage depicts the journey of a little boy grieving the loss of a loved one, told purely through illustrations, without any text.
For those who have followed Lim’s work in recent years, some of the illustrations in the book may feel familiar, drawing on motifs and ideas that have appeared throughout his practice.
“I’ve been producing these cat-inspired works for the past eight years, and when I looked back at them, I realised there was a narrative thread connecting them. So I decided to piece them together and that became the book,” says Lim, who also released books such as Overthink (2020), Apolline Et La Vallée De L’espoir (2021) and Catffirmation (2022).
In KL, he is a familiar name in illustration circles, his work a regular presence at art book fairs and illustration festivals. The gallery exhibition, however, offers a different kind of experience.
Lim has been actively involved throughout the Catopia show, speaking with visitors and taking part in sharing sessions.
At the PapanHaus exhibition, which has drawn visitors of all ages, Lim identifies his cat artwork series by numbers.
Yet the felines that populate them are anything but ordinary, inhabiting fantastical worlds where they ride giant waves, bask in psychedelic rays, stretch across the horizon, tumble from the sky or retreat behind a pair of shades.
The old Petaling Jaya house, repurposed as an arts space, offers a warm and unassuming setting that complements the spirit of the show.
An artist at heart
Hailing from the small town of Mengkuang, Pahang, Lim was originally a graduate in mechanical engineering. But after just one month working as a sales engineer, he knew that it wasn’t for him. Instead, he decided to pursue a career in illustration.
“Since I was young, I always liked comics and making things with my own hands. I naturally gravitated towards illustration because it’s one of the simplest ways of creating something,” shares Lim, 49.
A self-taught artist, Lim built a career as a freelance illustrator from scratch, doing odd jobs here and there for newspapers and magazines, trying to anticipate what potential clients would like. He reached a major turning point in 2007, when he went to Britain on the “working holidaymaker” visa.
“I was looking for some work I could do as an illustrator, and some people recommended Threadless, a website that sells T-shirts and prints with original designs by independent artists. To be honest, I initially thought it was a scam,” says Lim with a laugh.
At the time, the e-commerce platform from United States, Threadless, offered US$2,000 (RM8,141 today) for each design that was selected based on public votes and staff reviews. The second design Lim submitted made the cut, and from there, his popularity grew.
If you’ve ever browsed the Threadless website, you’re likely to have seen a design by Lim, where he’s known as “ilovedoodle”. In 2009 and 2011, he was even awarded Designer Of The Year on Threadless.
A life worth living
Following his 2018 solo exhibition Overthink, comprising a curation of his Threadless designs, Lim found fresh inspiration in cats, playfully weaving them into everyday scenes and natural landscapes, giving rise to an entirely new body of work that have become some of his most popular pieces by far.
With Catopia, he opted to paint the pieces by hand as a way of countering the fast-paced world we find ourselves in today.
“With the coming of artificial intelligence, working as an illustrator these days can be quite stressful. You’re always thinking about staying up-to-date on the latest trends and continuously producing just to keep up.
“I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, so I started thinking about changing the way I create my artwork. I wanted to slow down and go back to simply enjoying the process of creating. That’s what made me want to pick up the paintbrush again,” he explains.
Since they were hand-drawn, the pieces in the show aren’t exact replicas of the original illustrations.
“I used the originals as a reference, but because I drew them by hand, some of the details are different, which makes them all unique in their own way,” says Lim.
He added that, even before his illustrations gained recognition, he had never seriously considered pursuing a different career.
“Have you ever heard of the parable of the fisherman and the businessman?
“The businessman was advising the fisherman to work harder to build a large fishing empire so he could retire with the simple, peaceful life the fisherman was already living.
“This story made me think about how I can live the life of my dreams right now, among which is drawing the things I want without thinking too much about chasing money or success.
“At the end of the day, a human’s life is short. If I’m able to have a body of work that people can remember me by, such as this one, then I’m satisfied,” he concludes.
Catopia is showing at PapanHaus in Petaling Jaya until Sept 20. Entry fee: RM20. Open: Wednesday to Friday, noon-5pm; Saturday to Sunday, 11am-8pm. Instagram: @papanhaus and @limhengswee.
