Pearl Lam

Pearl Lam (Chinese: 林明珠) is a Hong Kong-born gallerist, patron, and curator.[1] She is recognized as a leading authority on Asian contemporary art[2] and design.[3] In 2021, Tatler recognized her as one of Asia’s most Influential people.[4] She is regarded as one of the most instantly recognizable gallerists globally due to her unique personal style.[5]

In this Chinese name, the family name is Lam(林).
Pearl Lam
Born
林明珠

Hong Kong
Occupationinternational gallerist
Parent(s)Lim Por-yen
Gu Shui-ying
RelativesPeter Lam (brother)

Her commitment to art and design aims to promote cultural exchange between East Asia and the world,[6] and present Asia’s art and design contributions to a global audience.[7] In 2008, she founded the China Art Foundation, which showcases the rich history of Chinese culture and traditions on a global stage.

The Financial Times has described Lam as “A Powerhouse Of China’s Art World”.[8] She founded the Pearl Lam Galleries (formerly known as Contrasts Gallery) in 2005, a notable entity in Asia’s contemporary art scene with spaces in Hong Kong and Shanghai, known for its cultural ambition that re-evaluates perceptions of cultural practice in China. Lam frequently participates in speaking engagements, focusing on contemporary issues such as inclusivity in the art market,[9] promoting cultural exchange,[10] and the acknowledgment of Chinese contemporary art and design.[11]

Life and career

Lam was born in Hong Kong, which was then a British mandate.[12] Lam is the daughter of Lim Por-yen, a Hong Kong real estate tycoon and founder of the Lai Sun Group. At the age of eleven she was sent to be educated in the United States and the United Kingdom,[12] where she eventually studied accountancy and law.[13][14][15] Following her graduation she returned to Shanghai to help her family oversee a real estate project. Not wanting to follow in her parents' footsteps, Lam soon became involved in the Chinese contemporary art scene.[16]

In 1993, Lam started organising pop-up exhibitions in Hong Kong.[17]

In 2004, Lam was asked by the French Cultural Attache to organise and curate a major exhibition in Shanghai as part of a year of cultural exchanges.[18] The exhibition was called ‘Awakening: La France Mandarin’ and travelled to Beijing, Hong Kong and Paris that year.[19] Lam was nominated as the Chinese design ambassador to France by the French Foreign Ministry and Culture Ministry.[20] From 2000 to 2008, Lam authored the column, "The Rave", for Baccarat Magazine (then known as 'Talkies').[21]

In 2005 Lam opened her first permanent gallery space in Shanghai, in the early years of its rise as a centre of contemporary art.[18] Focusing on design, Lam used the gallery to introduce Chinese collectors to the international art market.[22][23] Her exhibition for French designer Andree Putman in Shanghai was also shown in Hong Kong's Design Centre.[24] The same year, Lam participated in the Forum Talks at the Foire de Paris Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain,[25] and at a conference for the French Senate on Luxury as a guest speaker.[26]

In 2006, Lam opened a new gallery on Middle Jiangxi Road in Shanghai where it remains today. In 2009, the design gallery was moved to Xianggang Road Gallery. In 2012, she opened a permanent branch of Pearl Lam Galleries in Hong Kong's Pedder Building.[27] The gallery's debut exhibition was curated by Gao Minglu.[28] It was named the best gallery show of the year. The gallery then changed its name from Contrasts Gallery to Pearl Lam Galleries.[27]

In 2008, Lam founded the China Art Foundation.[29] The foundation aims to foster global interest in contemporary Chinese art.[30]

In early 2014, Lam opened a Singapore branch of Pearl Lam Galleries in Gillman Barracks.[31] To inaugurate the new outpost, Lam hosted a group show curated by the author and broadcaster Philip Dodd.[32] Her works extends to sponsoring exhibitions of western art in China and funding an artist-in-residence programme in Shanghai for Western and Asian designers.[24]

In 2015, a second gallery space in the Sheung Wan district of Hong Kong was opened with a focus on nurturing younger talents. The inaugural exhibition featured beeswax sculptures by the Beijing-based artist Ren Ri.[33] The exhibit highlights Lam's support for young Chinese artists. Born in 1984, Ren creates beeswax sculptures by removing the artist's subjectivity and allowing bees, nature, and chance to take over the creation process.[34]

One of the artists Lam represents[35] is London-based Philip Colbert,[36] a self-titled “pioneer of the metaverse” who launched NFT project The Lobstars. Lam also enjoys exclusivity with Mr Doodle,[37] aka British artist Sam Cox, who covered his entire Kent home in his graphic, graffiti-like imagery.

Recognition
  • 2008: One of 100 Women of the Year in 2008 by Corriere della Sera[38]
  • 2012: One of the "2012 Art Power 100" by L'Officiel Art[39]
  • 2012: "Design Power" list by Art+Auction[40]
  • 2013: One of the most powerful women "Asia's Women in the Mix" by Forbes magazine[41]
  • 2014: One of the top twenty-five women in the art world by artnet news[42]
  • 2016: "The 2016 Power List: High-Wattage Women of the Art World" by Blouin Art Info[43]

References
  1. Lux Magazine - LUX Insider: Pearl Lam
  2. Prestige - Pearl Lam: Rebel with a cause
  3. SCMP - Hong Kong art dealer and fashion icon Pearl Lam talks style
  4. Tatler Asia - Pearl Lam
  5. The Design Edit - Pearl Lam
  6. Tatler Asia - Pearl of Wisdom
  7. ArtNet News
  8. Financial Times - A Powerhouse Of China’s Art World
  9. FT Art Live
  10. Credit Suisse AIC
  11. Gazette Drouot
  12. Chislett, Helen. "Pearl of the orient" The Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  13. "Pearl Lam".
  14. Claudia Herstatt (2008). Women gallerists in the 20th and 21st centuries. Hatje Cantz. ISBN 9783775719759.
  15. "Pearl Lam: Art, Ex-Boyfriends and the Merits of Frivolity | Hong Kong Tatler". hk.asiatatler.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016.
  16. Foo, Mei Anne (27 March 2017). "Pearl Lam: Doyenne of Asia's Contemporary Art Scene". billionaire.com. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  17. Leanne Mirandilla. "Hong Kong Magazine". Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  18. Helen Chislett. "A long weekend in Shanghai with Pearl Lam – How to Spend It" "Financial Times". Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  19. Nancy Hass. "Shanghai Surprise" "New York Times". Retrieved 2 April 2006.
  20. Zhu Hui. 7 July 2006.
  21. Pearl Lam. ["Why China Art Should Rock (But Doesn't)"] "Baccarat Magazine". Retrieved 29 May 2008.
  22. Jill Triptree "Returning to Rock" "Luxury Insider". Retrieved July 2012.
  23. "China Vogue". Retrieved September 2006.
  24. Sophie Hastings. "We will create a vibrant arts scene" "Financial Times". Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  25. http://e-flux.com Forum Talk at FIAC 2005.
  26. http://www.centreduluxe.com/programme-de-la-rencontre-archives/programme-de-la-rencontre-2005/ Conference with the French senate on Luxury.
  27. Joyce Lau. "Hong Kong's Cultural Ambitions" "New York Times". Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  28. Mei Mei Song. "Pearl Lam Gallery to Open in Hong Kong" "Hong Kong Tatler". Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  29. The China Art Foundation Financial Times
  30. Dafoe, Taylor (18 December 2017). "Gallerist Pearl Lam on Why the West's Expansion into Asia's Art Scene Might Not Be Entirely Healthy". ArtNet News. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  31. Catherine Shaw. "Pearl Opens a New Gallery at Gillman Barracks" "Wallpaper Magazine". Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  32. "Pearl Lam Galleries to Open at Gillman Barracks". Blouin Artinfo. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  33. "Pearl Lam Opens Second Hong Kong Gallery". DARRYL WEE. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  34. Li, Zoe (6 March 2015). "Powerhouse Pearl Lam Opens New Gallery in Hong Kong". artnet.com.
  35. "FT Article on Pearl Lam's Artists"
  36. Philip Colbert on Wikipedia
  37. Mr Doodle on French Wikipedia
  38. http://www.corriere.it/cronache/08_dicembre_19/100_donne_per_un_anno_b0cb646c-cddd-11dd-af32-00144f02aabc.shtml "Corriere della Sera".
  39. http://www.zcom.com/article/105356/ "L'OFFICIEL ART". Retrieved May 2013.
  40. http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/843922/artauctions-power-2012-part-4-design-power "Art+Auction".
  41. Scott, Mary E. "Asia's Women in the Mix, 2013: The Year's Top 50 for Achievement in Business" Forbes. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  42. "25 Art World Women at the Top" artnet. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  43. http://www.blouinartinfo.com/photo-galleries/the-2016-power-list-high-wattage-women-of-the-art-world-part-1?image=9
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