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Sonorous VIII -  November 2023 (webres)-102.jpg

About Me

Monica is an Australian experimental artist and composer who works primarily with sound. Trained in classical piano, she merges traditional artforms with the most cutting-edge technology, always asking what the future of music is. Her work resists categorisation, melding lighting, embodied movement, participatory practice, circuitry and spatial design with baroque classicism, computer code, glitch and noise. With Malaysian-Chinese and Indonesian heritage, she merges diasporic exploration with Western classical forms. Monica works across screen, installation, dance and performance. Her work has been presented at Sydney Festival, Asia TOPA Festival, Oz Asia, Arts House, Science Gallery Melbourne, Now or Never, Seoul Performing Arts Festival, NIME, Siggraph Asia, ISEA and ArtJog amongst others. She has a doctoral degree in Interactive Composition from the University of Melbourne and is a Research Fellow at the School of Computing.

Highlights 

  • 2025 Theatre NOW Award for Best New Production - Opera For The Dead
  • 2026 Green Room Award nominations for Outstanding Design and Outstanding Technical Achievement - Opera For The Dead
  • 2024 Music Victoria Award nomination for Best Experimental Music
  • 2024 Creative Australia Asia Pacific Inspire Award nomination 
  • 2024 Conservatorium Director’s Award for Exceptional Doctoral Research, University of Melbourne
  • 2023 Artist in Residence, Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio
  • 2023 Artist in Residence, Grainger Museum
  • 2023 Green Room Award nominations for Outstanding Ensemble - Jagad
  • 2021 3rd place Guthman Musical Instrument Competition for Electromagnetic Piano

Personal Info

Name:​
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Artist since:
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Monica Lim
Melbourne (Naarm), Australia
She/her
Experimental avant-garde, contemporary classical, electronic, electroacoustic
2012
www.monicalim.online
monicamylim@gmail.com
​
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Recent Commissions

  • Opera For The Dead (2026) Arts House, (2025) Sydney Festival, (2025) Oz Asia Festival, (2024) Asia TOPA Festival
  • Chit + Chat (2025) Now or Never Festival and Chamber Made 
  • Guai (2025) Siggraph Asia Hong Kong, (2024) Science Gallery Melbourne, (2023) Melbourne Fringe and Footscray Community Arts 
  • Shan Gao Shui Chang 山高水长 (2026) South Side Festival, (2024) Adelaide Fringe
  • Simulacra (2023) solo exhibition at Grainger Museum 
  • ​Sonorous VIII (2023) Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio and Substation
  • Queers of Java (2023) WorldPride and Sydney Dance Company 
  • Jagad (2022) Arts House 

Music Releases

Most of my work tends to be ephemeral and participatory, created in the moment through structured improvisation, space and audience participation. For over 14 years, I resisted releasing published music, valuing the immediate and imperfect over studio processes. However, I now feel the need to 'put something down'. This year I have released an EP of electronic music based on hacked Buddhist Chanting Machines, and will be releasing an EP of extended piano music using spectral analysis, machine learning and microtonality that is impossible to play on normal pianos.

Monica Lim is cool...
it will be exciting to see what this Malaysian-born Australian artist does next...it’s likely to be impressive.

Ceridwen Spark for Limelight Magazine

Press Photos

Monica Lim Headshot by Eamon Donnelly
Monica Lim Sonorous VIII concert by Keelan O'Hehir
Monica Lim Grainger Museum by Peter Casamento
Monica Lim Unclassical by David Collins
MESS in Conversation by Justin Zaldarriaga
Monica Lim Automaton by Keelan O'Hehir
Monica Lim Sonorous VIII by Keelan O'Hehir
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