Pearl Lam
Pearl Lam(Chinese: 林明珠) is a Hong Kong-born international gallerist. She is the owner of Pearl Lam Galleries.[1]
Pearl Lam | |
---|---|
Born | 林明珠 Hong Kong |
Alma mater | University of Buckingham |
Occupation | international gallerist |
Parent(s) | Lim Por-yen Gu Shui-ying |
Relatives | Peter Lam (brother) |
Life and career
Lam was born in Hong Kong, which was then a British mandate.[2] Lam is the daughter of Lim Por-yen, a Hong Kong real-estate tycoon and founder of the Lai Sun Group.[1] At the age of eleven she was sent to be educated in the United States and the United Kingdom,[2] where she studied accountancy and law.[3][4][5] Following her graduation she returned to Shanghai to help her family oversee a real estate project.[1] Not wanting to follow her parents footsteps, and with the help of artist Sun Liang, Lam soon became involved in the Chinese contemporary art scene.[6]
In 1993, Lam started organising pop-up exhibitions in Hong Kong.[7]
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.[8] The exhibition was called ‘Awakening: La France Mandarin’ and travelled to Beijing, Hong Kong and Paris that year.[9] Lam was called the Chinese design ambassador to France by the French Foreign Ministry and Culture Ministry.[10] From 2000 to 2008, Lam authored the column, "The Rave", for Baccarat Magazine (then known as 'Talkies').[11]
In 2005 Lam opened her first permanent gallery space in Shanghai, in the early years of its rise as a centre of contemporary art.[8] Focusing on design, Lam used the gallery to introduce Chinese collectors to the international art market.[12][13] Her exhibition for French designer Andree Putman in Shanghai was also shown in Hong Kong's Design Centre.[14] The same year, Lam participated in the Forum Talks at the Foire de Paris internationale d'art contemporain, FIAC,[15] and at a conference for the French Senate on Luxury as a guest speaker.[16]
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 the lower ground floor of the Middle Jiangxi Road gallery. In 2012, she opened a permanent branch of Pearl Lam Galleries in Hong Kong's Pedder Building.[17] The gallery's debut exhibition was curated by Gao Minglu.[18] It was named the best gallery show of the year. The gallery then changed its name from Contrasts Gallery to Pearl Lam Galleries.[17]
In 2008, Lam founded the China Art Foundation.[19] The foundation aims to foster global interest in contemporary Chinese art.[20]
In early 2014, Lam opened a Singapore branch of Pearl Lam Galleries in Gillman Barracks.[21] To inaugurate the new outpost, Lam hosted a group show curated by the author and broadcaster Philip Dodd.[22] 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.[14]
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.[23] 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.[24]
Recognition
- In 2007, a New York Times article referred to Lam as "a pioneer in the Chinese art world."[25]
- In 2009, Lam was included in ‘Women Gallerists: In the 20th and 21st Centuries’, by de:Claudia Herstatt.[26]
- In 2008, Lam was nominated one of 100 Women of the Year in 2008 by Corriere della Sera.[27]
- In 2012, Lam was elected by "L'Officiel Art" as one of the "2012 Art Power 100".[28]
- In 2012, Lam was nominated as one of the "Design Power" list by "Art+Auction".[29]
- In 2013 Lam was listed by Forbes magazine as one of the most powerful women "Asia's Women in the Mix, 2013: The Year's Top 50 for Achievement in Business" in Asian business.[30]
- In 2013, Lam was included in ‘Women in Art: Figures of Influence’ by Reed Krakoff.[31]
- In 2014, Lam was recognised as one of the top twenty-five women in the art world by artnet news.[32]
- In 2014, Lam was nominated as one of the 100 most powerful women in art by artnet news.[33]
- In 2016, Lam was named in Blouin Art Info's "The 2016 Power List: High-Wattage Women of the Art World" for her role as an iconic international gallerist; her efforts as a pioneer in raising the profile of Chinese contemporary art; and her support of the nonprofit China Art Foundation. http://www.blouinartinfo.com/photo-galleries/the-2016-power-list-high-wattage-women-of-the-art-world-part-1?image=9
- In 2017, Lam was profiled in a 'Lunch with the FT' column in the Financial Times. The article highlights her contribution to the global art community and her role in the early stages of Chinese art's international rise. It also mentions her involvement in Hong Kong's annual Art Basel, her personal journey and her views on the role of public art. https://www.ft.com/content/d3a0794c-3bb5-11e7-ac89-b01cc67cfeec
- In 2017, Lam was profiled in the book "Women & Art", written by Dr. Monica Mergiu.
References
- Mason, Christoper. "A Shanghai Auntie Mame" The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- Chislett, Helen. "Pearl of the orient" The Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- http://www.scmp.com/article/726450/pearl-lam
- Claudia Herstatt (2008). Women gallerists in the 20th and 21st centuries. Hatje Cantz.
- http://hk.asiatatler.com/arts-culture/arts/pearl-of-wisdom
- Foo, Mei Anne (27 March 2017). "Pearl Lam: Doyenne of Asia's Contemporary Art Scene". billionaire.com. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
- Leanne Mirandilla. "Hong Kong Magazine". Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- Helen Chislett. "A long weekend in Shanghai with Pearl Lam – How to Spend It" "Financial Times". Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- Nancy Hass. "Shanghai Surprise" "New York Times". Retrieved 2 April 2006.
- Zhu Hui. 7 July 2006.
- Pearl Lam. ["Why China Art Should Rock (But Doesn't)"] "Baccarat Magazine". Retrieved 29 May 2008.
- Jill Triptree "Returning to Rock" "Luxury Insider". Retrieved July 2012.
- "China Vogue". Retrieved September 2006.
- Sophie Hastings. "We will create a vibrant arts scene" "Financial Times". Retrieved 12 May 2012.
- Forum Talk at FIAC 2005.
- Conference with the French senate on Luxury.
- Joyce Lau. "Hong Kong's Cultural Ambitions" "New York Times". Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- Mei Mei Song. "Pearl Lam Gallery to Open in Hong Kong" "Hong Kong Tatler". Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- The China Art Foundation Financial Times
- 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.
- Catherine Shaw. "Pearl Opens a New Gallery at Gillman Barracks" "Wallpaper Magazine". Retrieved 17 January 2014.
- "Pearl Lam Galleries to Open at Gillman Barracks". Blouin Artinfo. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- "Pearl Lam Opens Second Hong Kong Gallery". DARRYL WEE. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- Li, Zoe (6 March 2015). "Powerhouse Pearl Lam Opens New Gallery in Hong Kong". artnet.com.
- Mason, Christopher (20 December 2007). "A Shanghai Auntie Mame". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- "Women Galleriests: In the 20th and 21st Centuries" Claudia Herstatt, 2009.
- "Corriere della Sera".
- "L'OFFICIEL ART". Retrieved May 2013.
- "Art+Auction".
- Scott, Mary E. "Asia's Women in the Mix, 2013: The Year's Top 50 for Achievement in Business" Forbes. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- Krakoff. Women in Art: Figures of influence Galleriest 2013.
- "25 Art World Women at the Top" artnet. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- "The 100 Most Powerful Women in Art". Artnet. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2016.