Born and raised in Hong Kong, Percy Lam’s immigration to the United States at seventeen has become the foundation of his artistic practice. Working primarily in fibers, Lam focuses on making as a cognitive and emotional mending process, reconnecting with his birthplace and investigating his role as a member of the Hong Kong diaspora. Through weaving, sewing, and neon works, Lam recreates the city’s buildings and skylines, bridging past and present.
Lam is currently showing in two exhibitions, Climate: Contemporary Landscape in Flux curated by Research House for Asian Art and Ground Floor 2021 at Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago. He earned a MFA in Fiber and Material Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a BFA in Painting from the University of Hawai’i, Manoa.
For more information, please see: Percy-Lam.com, and on Instagram @perzykamlok.
Percy Lam, Millions of Neon Show: The Light of Hong Kong, 2017-present. Hand-embroidered paper. 3 x 3 in (each). Photo by Jonel Jugueta.
Percy Lam, Millions of Neon Show: The Light of Hong Kong, 2017-present. Hand-embroidered paper. 3 x 3 in (each). Image courtesy of the artist.
Percy Lam, Light Light Light, 2019. Neon. 24 x 16 x 3 in. Photo by Tony Favarula.
First, and most importantly, how are you doing? How are you navigating the highs and lows?
Since the pandemic started, I have been telling people “I am doing okay.” Everything seems just okay to me under this global crisis, no bad, no very good. I am still navigating in this uncertain time, experiencing doubts and worries, and uncertainty. I graduated with my MFA last May during the pandemic. I was looking forward to a new page of my artistic career, got some exciting opportunities in Hong Kong, however, they all had to put on hold because of the pandemic. I then decided to stay in Chicago for at least a year to see how thing is going. I am now working part-time at The UPS Store, at the same time continuing my studio practice.
Stand With Hong Kong (detail). Photo by Tony Favarula.
Stand With Hong Kong (detail). Photo by Tony Favarula.
Percy Lam, Stand With Hong Kong, 2020. Jacquard weaving, cotton, polyester, and folded chair. dimensions variable. Photo by Tony Favarula.
It would be great if you could briefly talk us through your practice. Understanding it is integral to appreciating the multivalence of your work.
Shortly after my family and I settled in Honolulu, Hawaii, where I struggled to get along in a new surrounding, I became fascinated with PEZ dispensers because of a music video that showcased thousands of them massively filling the walls. This song, by a Hong Kong singer, was one of my first introductions to a form of American utopia through a foreign lens. I had always turned to adorable collectibles to bring me energy and excitement, and PEZ became my new obsession, as a way to anchor myself in new surroundings. I then started to see the potential of PEZ wrappers and candy as art materials—the wrapper colors and the shape of the candy, reminiscent of buildings and lights in Hong Kong.
Since then, my work has approached the depiction of Hong Kong through diverse materials and techniques to explore my complex relationship with the city I still consider home. By recreating the city’s buildings and skylines through the use of weaving, sewing, and neon works, I hope to bridge my past and present in my role as a member of the Hong Kong diaspora, looking back to my homeland with my gaze from afar. In my current practice, I am interested in addressing issues such as Hong Kong’s disappearing neon culture, unique housing phenomenon, and recent social unrest, weaving predominantly soft materials to mend the sense of identity loss that results from a long-term disconnection. Through my work, I hope to bring new insights to how Hong Kong’s cultures and values are perceived at a distance.
Percy Lam, Pezelicition, 2017. PEZ wrapper and thread. 89 x 89 in. Photo by Jonel Jugueta.
Percy Lam, Pezity: Bank of China Tower, 2016. PEZ candy on Chinese stand. Photo by Jordan Harrison.
Are you thinking differently? Coping differently? Inspired differently?
Yes, definitely. In this very uncertain time, I am always asking myself: What does it mean to be an artist during this global crisis? How can art keep making an impact when many art-events are canceled, closed, suspended, and postponed? Does art still matter? Do I really still want to become a professional artist during this chaos era? Does the world still need artists? I don’t have answers for these, and I know the longer this pandemic will last, the more questions I would have to ask myself.
My current part-time job at The UPS Store for the past 8 months has also allowed me a different way to engage the Chicago community, to see this city in a different perspective. I would like to see how I can cope with this experience, bringing it into my artistic practice as a way to reflect this difficult, uncertain, and weird time.
Percy Lam, Buildings Stand Where Once Flowers Grew, 2019. Jacquard weaving, cotton, and wool. 20 x 27 in. Photo by Cy Yoon.
Percy Lam, The Printing Machine (still), 2020. Video Installation. Photo by Tony Favarula.
What is bringing you solace, or even joy, in this moment?
Truly, this studio visit project here brings me solace or even some joy during this very difficult time. I am glad to be invited to share my thoughts and recent events, allowing me a moment to reflect on my current situation. It is also good to see other artists around here in this virtual platform. We work differently but share the same struggle at this moment of time. I see this is the best time to practice solidarity and empathy.
Percy Lam, Housing Estates 1, 2020. Jacquard weaving, cotton, wool, folding table and chair, daily calendar, biscuit can. dimensions variable. Photo by Kin Lam Lam.
Where are you physically?
I am now located in Chicago. I currently have two exhibitions – Climate: Contemporary Landscape in Flux curated by Research House for Asian Art and Ground Floor 2021 at Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago. This may not be the right time for me to return to Hong Kong in forging my artistic career speaking of the pandemic and the complex political situation in Hong Kong. This year, I will be in Chicago and continuing my studio practice in the Center Program at Hyde Park Art Center.
Percy Lam at his grad studio at SAIC. 2019. Photo by Hillary Johnson.