Pearl Lam Changing the Asian Art Scene unlike Any Other

Pearl Lam, after opening her first Pearl Lam Art Gallery in Shanghai, has been wearing multiple hats, apart from the owner of Pearl Lam Galleries. She has become an entrepreneur, patron, and even host of the Pearl Lam Podcast. But all these ventures of this prolific lady have the same root and mission: to bring Chinese and Asian art to the forefront and make the former the art hub of the world. The relentless work of the Pearl Lam not only made her the most recognisable gallerist in the world but also established herself as a prominent female entrepreneur.

Pearl Lam: The Powerhouse of China’s Art World

Starting as an art collector and a gallerist was not something Pearl Lam decided; instead, it was a way to get away from the clutches of her father, a prominent property developer in China. Purchasing the two paintings with her first three months’ salary changed her life and the art landscape of China and Asia.

In the last two decades of her career, Pearl Lam has established her name in the field to be recognised as an international gallerist. Her status as an icon in the art world has been stamped by Tatler and Artnet List. While the former listed Pearl among the ‘Asia’s Most Influential People’ the latter recognised her among the art world’s top twenty-five women.
One of the reasons that has led Pearl Lam to be a renowned art gallerist and an entrepreneur is the way she has helped the world reimagine China and its culture with the contemporary art of the country. Even though Pearl Lam is known for promoting Chinese art, a closer look into her Pearl Lam gallery and the artists whom she promotes as an art entrepreneur would show something more versatile.

Pearl Lam: A Female Icon and Entrepreneur

The way Pearl Lam views art is evident from her movement, which fosters the understanding of East and West cultures without homogenising them. According to Lam, there is a need to have cultural unity to bridge the gap, but that does not translate to not celebrating the uniqueness of each culture. The China Art Foundation, a charity project run by Pearl Lam, is about promoting a better understanding of the differences between the cultures of East and West, but with the common lingua franca—art. The intention of the foundation is to promote a prosperous and peaceful planet.

One of the best ways Pearl Lam considers establishing a dialogue between the East and West with art is by promoting the next generation of artists as an entrepreneur. Very few art gallerists become entrepreneurs, but Pearl Lam is not a regular gallerist; she has always been much more than that. Hence the impetus to promote the younger generation, who can forge a new path with their art and approach the field better.

In her Pearl Lam Galleries, a range of art can be seen not only from Chinese and Asian artists but from African and European countries too. The result is developing and changing the Chinese art market and opening it to the global market with contemporary local Chinese artists. Pearl Lam is not considered to be the person who has transformed the Hong Kong art market into the world’s second-largest space.

The Avant-Garde Gallerist of Modern Art

Often, the rebellious nature that one starts their career with tends to fizzle as time progresses. But Pearl Lam continues to lead the life of a rebel and a non-conformist. She is happy to speak her mind and happily wear her eccentric flair, be it with her unique gravity-defying magenta bob or the dining table with 66-place. Her house in Shanghai is known to have the wildest interior, but that doesn’t faze her or her work as an entrepreneur and gallerist. She continues to promote new technology-based arts like virtual reality art, digital art, computer animation, graphics, and the art of Mr. Doodle and his first NFT release. The lady continues to lead her life as an avant-garde and change the art world’s landscape.