Malaysian-born, Kim Hai Lim is a graduate of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris. Lim is known for his iconic large-scale canvases of apples that offer a visual narrative of his observations of human behaviour that in turn, invite contemplation. His earlier works from the 1980s depict apples in a classical style, realistically rendered in subdued tones, with an emphasis on light and shadow. Following 1986, Lim's work took on a surrealist theme. He began experimenting with colour and composition, creating dreamscapes of the popular fruit, where the apples seem to float in the infinite expanse of the universe.

Apples had been Lim’s key subject for the last 4 decades. To the artist, the humble apple represents his hope for humanity: a world of harmony and peace, where differences can co-exist in a perfect space. In the work Harmony and Peace, Lim’s careful orchestration of the floating apples and colours created the depth and emotional tranquillity as seen. Each apple is captured in detail, including the irregular specks, variations in tone and waxy glow of the skin demonstrated his extraordinary understanding of perspective, colour, shape and composition.