Role Artist Genre Social commentary | Notable works 100 Butches Books 100 Crushes Name Elisha Lim Siblings Thea Lim | |
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Occupation Graphic novelist, Illustrator Movies 100 Crushes Chapter 6: They, 100 Butches #9: Ruby, The Hawker | ||
Nationality Canadian, Singaporean Literary movement Postcolonialism | ||
Elisha Lim | Sister Spit.mov
Elisha Lim (born 1978) is an artist and graphic novelist living in Montreal. Lim advocates the use of the gender-neutral pronoun "they".
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Early life
Elisha Lim was born in Toronto and attended Catholic convent primary and secondary schools in Singapore. Their sister is the writer and cultural critic Thea Lim.
Graphic Novel
Lim's first graphic novel, 100 Butches, is a collection of queer portraits and anecdotes amassed while travelling around the world. It was due to be released in 2008 through Alyson Books, but many of Alyson's contracts were suspended as the publishing house sought a new buyer. When negotiations failed, its parent company switched Alyson to e-book only publishing in 2010, and several titles including 100 Butches were dropped. Lim signed a new contract with Magnus Books in 2011, and the novel is still forthcoming. It has received gay media coverage regardless, which dubbed Lim a "Queer Woman to Watch" on afterellen.com, and an "Artist in Residence" by Curve Magazine. Lim also toured North America with Michelle Tea's queer writer's caravan Sister Spit, presenting excerpts from the novel. 100 Butches has been awarded grants by the Canada Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council.
Comics
Since finishing 100 Butches, Lim has drawn a variety of comic strips. The Sweetest Taboo was a comic about children's pop culture in the 1980s that ran in Capital Xtra!, "Queer Pioneers" ran in Diva Magazine, and the 12-panel wall calendar "Sissy" is a self-published celebration of femininity and sissydom.
Art Practice
Lim creates portraits of marginal subcultures out of traces or pastels, and usually incorporates anecdotes or captions in the subjects' own words. Lim's exhibits include The Illustrated Gentleman at Allyson Mitchell and Deirdre Logue's FAG Gallery, 100% Mixed Race at the A-Space Gallery, "Generations of Queers" at OCAD University, Sissy at William Way Community Centre.
Personal life
Lim came out as queer in Berlin before moving back to Canada, where they credit the Asian Arts Freedom School for inspiring a turn to anti-racist activism. Lim has organized and co-founded events in Toronto that promote queer and trans people of colour, including Fresh to Def and Les Blues. Lim and Lim's partner, Coco Riot, also collaborate to promote the use of 'they' as a pronoun with a singular, gender-neutral object. The Toronto Star called Lim a 'Celesbian', and in 2012 Lim was called one of the Top 25 Significant Queers of 2011, and one of 100 Canadian People of Colour activists.
Music
Lim pursued a music career until a fortune teller told Lim to quit and take up drawing. Nevertheless, they play in a band called The Sex Appeals, whose members are queer people of colour, and whose music has been noted for having original "poppy hooks and quirky song titles"; their drummer, Nadine Forde, describes their music as "crotch pop". Other members include Ali Naqvi on synth, Sarah Creagen on violin, and Patrick Salvani on bass. Amongst other gigs, they have played at Toronto Pride and the Art Gallery of Ontario.