Pearl Lam, the flamboyant gallerist often referred to as the powerhouse of Chinese Contemporary culture, speaks to MODERN PAINTERS on her eponymous galleries, and her new outpost at Hong Kong’s newly opened vertical arts hub, H Queen’s. You were born in Hong Kong — how does it feel to witness the opening of H Queen’s and influx of international galleries here?I’ve been waiting for decades! It’s exciting because you never believed this would happen, and now it’s happening — this is the greatest thing!What makes Hong Kong so ripe for an art scene?Hong Kong doesn’t have a censorship problem, or an import problem. Asia, especially China, is a growing Contemporary market. You need to be there to cultivate all these collectors. It’s not just about international galleries, which are important because they made Hong Kong the art scene in Asia, but also our local support, local museums opening and local galleries. It is forming an eco system, which I believe is very important. For Hong Kong, it is vital for us to represent international artists, and Asian artists must be put in the global context.What does it mean to put Asian artists in a global context?You always talk about Asian or Chinese art, but art is not about a passport, art is art. If you just say “Chinese art, Chinese art,” you are pigeonholing it. We need to look at global art: What do Chinese or Asian artists claim in this global art world? In relationship to all these international artists? For me, it’s the culture and the philosophy behind it. For the H Queen’s opening, I’m opening with an Italian artist and Shanghai artist. I’m choosing a Chinese artist that is known in Asia, but not known in an international context. In Hong Kong, in Art Basel, I opened with an Italian artist using concrete — his approach, time, essence and all that, is very Chinese, it’s like Chinese philosophy. All my artists have always been like a discovery, whether Asian or international, that’s what I love to do! I love to build the career of the artist.What challenges does the Hong Kong art scene face? To make Asia interesting, we need an influential museum. Most artists think the most important thing is to have their works shown in art museums outside Asia — MoMA, Guggenheim, Tate, they don’t even think about Asia at all. We really have a problem. When M+ opens, I’m sure in China there will be other museums opening, and other museums around Asia, and then our ecosystem will be completed. Price cannot be a determination about whether an artist is good or bad. If art is just about buying and selling, it becomes a product. We want a culture. Culture is soft power. For all these artists to be remembered, they won’t be remembered for their price, I hope. — This interview appears in the April 2018 edition of Modern Painters
↧