Thank you for being here.

I guess this move to a newsletter was something I knew was going to come as social media slid further in a direction I do not like. It’s even harder though, to peel your eyes away from a feed curated to please and numb you— injecting just enough soothing animal videos and exciting sale products in between news of war and mundane selfies— to read a wordy post. So thank you, for choosing to subscribe (-; A small but meaningful crowd.

For those who followed my tinyletter ‘Pocketed Encounters’, welcome back! That site shut down in February 2024, so I hope to continue sharing here, with additional work updates to the stories. I do love writing, and without the pressures of social media, I hope I can share more personal thoughts here without worrying about agitating audiences I never meant to trigger.

For those unaware, the recent announcement from Meta states that they will begin training AI on our content all the way back from 2007, starting from the end of June. I considered deleting all my content and my account, but realised that would mean little. Having recently caught the Netflix documentary on Ashley Madison, I’m not sure deleting would have much effect; and there’d be no way to prove that content was yours anyway. Even without AI, humans are just as capable of copying and denying it. At the end of the day, it’s the user, not the tool. While I was fully aware that the content did not ‘belong’ to me from the moment I uploaded it, I never expected them to cross that line and use our data to train AI, potentially making new content from it (learning that they are using data from 2007 feels like they had been planning from the start to fatten us up). Yes, we signed the terms, black and white; yet it still stings when we realise most companies don’t operate in good faith anymore.

In the grand scheme of things, my huffy exit from Meta platforms wouldn’t mean shit to them; 16.9k is minuscule, compared to your regular influencers. I guess something must’ve proven to them that a larger quantity of people care more about make-up tutorials and model-people selfies. The exodus to Cara wouldn’t even pinch them. The addiction they have been programming in most humans for over a decade has proven its worth. For years, so many people have advised me to ‘audit’ my image on social media; I stopped posting selfies and daily life things (which was what I enjoyed about IG) because it made me look like ‘I wasn’t serious about art’; I rejected media gifts, and event invites so it wouldn’t seem like I was an ‘influencer’ (part of it was wise, though). But every time, it seemed like I was still doing something ‘wrong’. Now though, a social media account has proven to mean so little. Even so, I remember this quote:

The main thing that bothers me about Meta’s decision is the visuals of my artwork on their platforms, so I have decided to retain (periodical) use of my social media account for, guess what? SOCIAL MEDIA. I never believed in this whole ‘Instagram is my art portfolio’ rubbish. Thank goodness, I am stoic at updating my portfolio website, and no more artwork images are going into their robotic cerebrum. So please, do stick around here cause most of my valuable insights will be here instead (-;

I have also observed that since I consciously decided to start a newsletter, my IG addiction has significantly waned. I guess I just needed a real reason to admit to myself I actually hate IG and want to leave, but couldn’t.

WHAT I HAVE BEEN UP TO

82 Days in Japan

Art Residency & Solo Exhibition

In April, I participiated in the art residency Metropolitan Fukujusou, Kyoto. The residence was an old, refurbished Japanese-style house with the best futon I have ever slept in in my life (it was an old-fashioned one filled with down feathers, and the host would sun them everyday!), and the studio just 5 minutes walk away. Spring is truly a beautiful season, and it was (mostly) worth it battling the tourist throngs to see the beautiful Sakura. But I must say, Spring’s quiet appeal is the most attractive; when it creeps into your life unnoticed, in the turn of the seasons; when pink replaces brown overnight; when it’s just that bit of nature, and you—no one else.

The works I created during the Residency were then exhibited in Kotomath space in Takamatsu, a city known as the base of the Setouchi Art Triennale. Ever since stepping foot here in 2016 (and having had my life changed), this city has changed quite a bit; yet my fondness for its amazing food, cycling culture and people has remained. I won’t go on since I have updated about this on IG previously, but you may take a look at my website if you’d like to know more.

NEW THINGS I SAW

“Origination Method” by Toyoshima Yasuko

I visited a wonderful exhibition ‘Origination Method’ by Toyoshima Yasuko at Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, and here are some photos of her works which I loved. (There were a lot of different sections probably more relevant to most people, including her series in woodwork inspired by the back of frames, but I’ve always taken to small works.) I really enjoy work that use the most common items to show a rebellious creativity. I can’t explain it in English, but in Singlish, there is a word ‘guailan’— (used as a verb or noun, considerably vulgar) which roughly translates to deliberately doing something in an ‘opposite’ way that irks (or amuses, depending on how serious you are) others.

WHAT I’M UP TO NEXT

Art Ripples Residency in Taitung, Taiwan

I am finally going for my first sponsored residency in Taiwan! I will be staying in Taitung for a month, and learning all about ramie weaving from an artisan of the aboriginal Bunun tribe. I will probably be sharing more about the experience in my next newsletter!

WHAT I’M READING

The Power of Language (Viorica Marian)

In 2016, while volunteering at the Setouchi Art Triennale, I was partnered with a Shanghainese guy. He observed me while I spoke to the different visitors in the 3 languages I knew. When they left, he told me in Mandarin, “did you know that you have 3 different personalities that appear when you speak different languages?” I never knew. So I asked, what were they like?

“Well, when you speak English, you are very confident,” he says. “And in Mandarin, you’re very sincere (親切).” Mandarin is my Mother Tongue, which I’ve spoken throughout my life, so it wasn’t surprising. “What about Japanese?” I asked. He guffawed and said, “就是很假。” (You’re very fake).

I thought that was so interesting and hilarious; I think about this incident often. I observe myself when I speak, and there is a truth in it. The way we behave is shaped by the language/s we know, and I wouldn’t necessarily say speaking in Japanese makes you fake, but the way the language is structured allows you to say things in a less straightforward way. Even the way you squeeze your throat and ‘pout’ your lips for certain expressions makes it feel like a performance. But that’s what I love about learning different languages; it’s not just the vocabulary that introduces you to a new culture, but even the grammar, and facial expressions (my face hurts when I practise French). It’s one of the most fulfilling things you can ever do for yourself!

The book touches on some of these, and includes the science behind what goes on in the brains of multilinguals. She also introduces some interesting facts like how it’s more difficult for us to lie in a second language, and how it allows us to be more objective and less emotional. I had a discussion with some friends recently about whether lacking the vocabulary (e.g. for a certain phenomenon/emotion) makes you unable to acknowledge or even recognise it (if you’ve read ‘Landmarks’ by Robert Macfarlane, another stunning book— you must agree!), and this book gives more insight to the topic.

Languages usually determine a set of cultural norms, and learning a new language allows you to break away from what you might have always thought of as the ‘truth’. You’d realise that you don’t feel only one way about something, no matter how strong. When I started being conversationally able in Japanese, I felt a new part of my brain crack open. If you’ve wondered how languages can change the way you think, this book is for you.

RECENT DABBLES

Crochet Patterns

I usually buy patterns when I’m really too maxed out from work to be creative, and just want to move my fingers. So the other day, I paid for a knitting pattern, only to be horrified at how lazily it had been written. It motivated me to release my own pattern, which I first designed for my physical classes in 2021. (Any feedback is welcome!)

It turned out to be a lot more fun than I imagined, so I hopped onto making my next pattern, only to lose steam halfway because my first pattern was moving a little slow (I am so reward-motivated, lol). My Creatures line has always been popular, but I’ve been too busy to work on them; so why not make a pattern? I thought. I didn’t realise how difficult it would be to make it comprehensible to another crocheter, but here he is anyway. My simplified Chilli Dog, or if you speak Japanese… a DOG-arashi (唐辛子）.

LAST THOUGHTS

What does ‘Limerick’ mean to me? It’s stuck with me since I came up with it on a whim, in 2008. Back then, in a small school in small Singapore, all I wanted was to make sure I wasn’t one of the hundreds if not thousands of Kelly Lims out there (‘Lim’ is the second most common surname in Singapore). When I participated in my first overseas biennale in Roubaix this February, I felt for the first time how much I wanted to be called my own name. My Asian name, which I love (though my friends like making fun of it); my parents received it from a Chinese temple, and I feel every stroke in each of the hanzi characters vibe with my spirit. I was proud to be the only Asian in the exhibition. Growing up in a westernized country from Southeast Asia striving to be ‘world-class’, the West always seemed cool. Better. Finally, when I made it to the West, I missed my roots. How very strange we humans are.

For years, I’ve been wondering how much of this ‘Kelly Limerick’ identity is still me (I only saw myself as ‘apart’ from this ‘identity’ recently). I wouldn’t ever deny a single part of who I am or was. But I feel this moult is finally coming off, with the recent developments in my artwork and the slow crawl off social media. Maybe. And so the title of this newsletter hints only at who I was (-:

See you next time, sorry for the length.