Dubbed the ‘Apple King,’ then Paris-based Lim Kim Hai made an impactful homecoming in the late 1980s with his large canvases of apples conveying homilies of life using apples with poetic empathy and symbolic qualities. But painting apples is not his only forte, as he can be equally adept at other western fruits besides painting Hyper-Realist satin sheets, indoor window-sill dressings and beautiful landscapes. There are several interpretations of Dropouts: Unity is strength with a strong foundation of those stacked together and those going alone run the peril of falling off the precipice, and yet the latter can be applauded for their adventurous spirit despite the fall. The dropoff edge is rendered dark, mysterious and dangerous. As always, the backdrop is crucial to the overall composition, in this case, the vertical lines on the left being the Venetian blinds. It could also imply greed for power or the uncertainty of human relationships, or about love and sexuality. Lim Kim Hai had won several prizes when residing in France for 17 years. His awards: Silver and Gold Awards in the Salon des Artistes Francais in 1981 and 1982 respectively; Silver Award in the Salon Internationale du Val d’ Or in 1984; Prix Henri Lehmann Award from the Institut de France in 1986; Golden and Public awards from 52e Salon des Beaux Arts, Enghien-les-Bains in France in 1987. From 1989 to 1992, he had solos in Russia, Spain and France, including at the Valmay Art Gallery, Paris in 1988. In Singapore, he had solos at Singapore’s National Museum, Hotel Meridien and Gallery Art Forum in 1988. He had a major homecoming exhibition at Galeri Maybank, Kuala Lumpur, in October-November 1992. Kim Hai studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art in Singapore in 1970-1972, and the Ecole Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1975-1980.