International gallerist Pearl Lam, over the years, has become more than just a gallerist. She has struggled and worked hard to attain the status of being called not only the powerhouse of China’s art world, who has changed the way the West perceives Chinese contemporary art, but has become a female icon and entrepreneur.
After curating art galleries and shows for over two decades, Pearl Lam has become not only one of the leading authorities on Asian art and the international contemporary art market but also the most recognisable gallerist in the world. She has been putting lesser-known artists, mainly those who were looked over by the traditional art gallerists, on the forefront. As a result, Pearl Lam has a talent pool that she promotes through her eponymous gallery, Pearl Lam Galleries, which spans across China, the UK, and the US.
For instance, Pearl Lam and her gallery have the sole representation rights of the artist Sam Cox, more well-known as Mr Doodle. Typically, Cox would be counted at the bottom of the conventional artists, art gallery, and art world hierarchy. However, Pearl Lam has changed that for him and Philip Colbert.
Owner Of Pearl Lam Galleries Sees The Shift In Art Industry
According to Lam, it’s only recently that the art world recognised the change and is forced to evolve and adapt. During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sudden surge in virtual art forms, virtual gallery shows, and online artwork sales. As an international gallerist, Pearl Lam states that she has observed a significant shift among art buyers, viewers, and connoisseurs. No longer is it confined to the conventional and a certain section of art appreciators. Instead, there is a surge in young consumers and influencers. During the pandemic, they have become instrumental in supporting the growth of the art industry.
This has caused new artists, the ‘fringe’ and ‘unconventional’ artists, to experience growth and have a global presence, thanks to TikTok, Instagram, and other social media, through which they can easily build their brands. These platforms can give them the viewership and the money that they would not get if these artists waited to get their art exhibited in some traditional art galleries.
In such a scenario, art galleries would go out of business if they do not recognise, embrace, and showcase these talents. Not long before, artists needed art galleries to showcase their work and become known to art lovers and auction houses. However, with the extensive usage of social media platforms, artists can easily remove these spaces and continue to thrive on their own. So now, more than before, art galleries and art auction houses need to take stalk of the new artists to stay relevant in the art industry.
Why International Gallerist Pearl Lam Promote Unconventional Art & Artist?
Pearl Lam, the powerhouse of China’s art world, always had an eye for future trends. This was easily understood when she opened her doors to the street artists of Hong Kong in her Pearl Lam Galleries. As the owner of Pearl Lam Galleries, it was quite an unconventional move. However, the impetus for Lam has always been to create an art space that works towards inclusivity and does not conform to the puritan biases of the art world.
As the owner of Pearl Lam Galleries, she has been pushing the boundaries and creating new space for artwork in China and globally. This has seen Lam recognising long before many in the art industry the importance of unconventional artists in the art landscape.
Lam, as a result, has become the most recognisable gallerist in the world who has been promoting NFT, virtual artwork, and street artists but is now scouting traditional and contemporary art from Africa. Lam recently visited Nigeria and has been working closely to promote their work and bring it to the forefront.
