Artist Spotlight:
RAINA KIM

Raina Kim Li, who also signs off her works as Rei, is a mother of 3 beautiful boys and was trained in and practised architecture till 2014. As an artist, she works primarily in oils & acrylic, and a variety of materials like pastels and pigment powder.

We sat down with the Singaporean artist recently to find out more about her and her journey to becoming an artist.

“I've always loved painting and art, and I first started trying out oils when I was 13. Being from a traditional Singaporean family, I chose to do architecture seeing it as a sweet spot between the uncertainty of life as an artist and the stability of an established profession that still had a creative edge to it. 

My appreciation for art grew even more when I studied architecture, as architectural drawing itself is very representational and it requires visualizing the experience of a building in diagrammatic and abstract forms. I enjoyed my education in architecture and that still informs my work as an artist in many ways that are hard to verbalise. The way I think about material and materiality and the way I develop my own visual language do come from that background. 

It wasn't until I gave birth to my first son and started taking my faith more seriously that I had to really prioritize things in my life. I realised that I wanted to spend my life on the things that truly mattered to me. Being present for my children is a chief priority and also being able to tell them that I pursued my passion with no regrets was another. Art to me was always a greater love than architecture. So the switch was the logical next step.” 

Having lived in various places, Raina’s art has evolved over the years from an outward expression of self to casting the eye inwards on the workings of the heart, mind, and spirit.

“I've thoroughly loved all the cities I've lived in. My student days in New York really exposed me to the best of contemporary art as I went to the big art museums quite a bit. But I think living in Chile for those few months also opened my experience of rugged nature and terrain quite expansively. From the north to the south of it, the change in landscape and climate from desert to old forests and Patagonian mountains and lakes was breathtaking, and it was quite confronting to experience the enormity of nature. Something that I meditate upon in my art is that feeling of sublimity that faith, the divine and creation bring.”

 “My favourite pieces of my own change depending on the phase of life I'm in. Some of my current favourites are Song of Songs, The Secret Place of Thunder and By Streams of Living Water. There is always the common theme of materiality and mood in every one of my paintings. It could be materiality in the form of colour, texture or stroke. Lately, it has always been borne from a meditative state of reflection upon certain themes in the Bible, a large portion of it was based on the Creation story at the beginning of Genesis.”

Raina is also the founder of Gentle Beast Art Club and has been using it as a vehicle for her charity work in Tekanpur Village.

“When I first started doing art full-time, I was also a new mother and it was hard for me to justify to myself to carve out time to paint when my sons were still so young. At the same time, I also started attending Bible Study Fellowship and was confronted with my own meaning in existence. Art to me had to mean more than just expressing my emotions. Also, the paradigm of eternal life and the things that matter from that perspective made me understand my own selfishness, and also the enormous heart God has for all people. I found myself asking God to show me deeper meaning in life through my actions, and how to be fruitful in a way that pleases Him. Then when a friend from my architecture days came along and told me about her trip to Nepal after the earthquake, and how much casualties could be reduced by changing the way they built their houses, I immediately became very motivated to do something about it. 

The fundraising experience of art for charity has made me realise that this system helps not only those in need but also benefits the artist and the buyer. There is an empowerment that artists feel when they give their work for a good cause, and they also benefit from the exposure. For the buyer, charity always is an antidote to self-centeredness. Also, it is uncommon for people in Singapore to want to shell out for art, and having a good cause behind it helps tip the buyer into making a purchase, perhaps deepening their appreciation for art. It is a very good feeling to see how all ends benefit from this arrangement of art for a cause.”