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According to Pearl Lam, art is a soft power that has the capacity to initiate a conversation that transcends gender, nationality, race, and, at times, even social status. However, in this world filled with dichotomies and people talking in patronizing ways about embracing diversity and considering everyone equal, Tatler’s most recognized as one of Asia’s most influential people has a problem. According to her, more than embracing or starting cultural appropriation, we need to understand the differences between cultures and celebrate that diversity. One of the best ways to do that is by understanding and recognizing different art forms and the ways they have and are evolving.
Pearl Lam Looks Beyond Boundaries in Art
Art collectors and connoisseurs came to know about Pearl Lam during the late 1990s and early 2000s, when she started her journey as an art collector and patron, holding pop-up shows. But what set her apart from the rest of the art curators was that she began promoting Chinese contemporary art instead of the Chinese political caricature that was the dominant form of the region at that time.
The exhibitions on Chinese abstract and contemporary art showcased to China and the Western world that even the traditional and contemporary art forms of China were rooted in their cultures of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucius. Since these three philosophies and Chinese calligraphy are present in China’s everyday life, they will always stay relevant and can counter homogeneity and work as a bridge between cultures. The notion that Chinese culture is the same across the mainland and Hong Kong was challenged by Lam with her exhibition because, according to Chinese culture, it cannot be painted with one broad stroke. Similarly, when the West homogenizes Eastern culture as a singular form and so does African culture, Lam has a problem.
As an art patron and entrepreneur, Pearl Lam refuses to categorize artwork as belonging to a nation or a country. She is more interested in seeing the diversity that cultures and regions bring to the art form of people. It is by meeting different people, getting to know them, and speaking with them from different backgrounds, ethnicities, regions, and cultures that one can truly understand the root of their artwork.
When Pearl Lam talks about understanding the diversity of culture, it is not limited to the art forms. Over the years, she has travelled to many countries, and one aspect that she enjoys, apart from art and fashion, to appreciate the diversity is food. Her adventurous life led her to try a goat head and a huge snail when she visited Africa. During her visit to African countries like Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana, she learned that each region has multiple tribal art forms and different cultures. Her varied taste and the urge to embrace and talk about diversity are not limited to the continent of Africa. Pearl Lam is in awe of the Australian aboriginal art, mainly the landscapes they have painted over the years.
The Proof is in the Pudding of Diversity
As a true art connoisseur, she refuses to be limited by any country, culture, region, background, or ethnicity of art and artists. This has resulted in her representing artists not only from across the world but also people who would often be overlooked by gallerists. Hence, we see Pearl Lam making space for street artists Sam Cox( Mr. Doodle) and Philip Colbert. She also presented to the world Babajide Olatunji, a Nigerian artist’s first solo exhibition in Asia. At Art Basel Hong Kong, Lam showed the works of Ghanaian artists like Emmanuel Kwaku Yaro, who uses recycled materials in his work with acrylic, and Abdur Rahman Muhammad, who showcases the influence of hip-hop culture on Ghanaian youth. But diversity is not limited to art and the art world. The Pearl Lam Podcast is another space that discovers disruptors like her in their field and has been shaping the world differently while recognizing diversity with an artistic flair.
