Lap-See Lam draws on experiences of the Cantonese diaspora, delving into migratory movement, generation loss, speculative fiction, mythology, and the mistranslation of cultural symbols through video installations, sculptures, and performances. Her works blend traditional forms of storytelling with contemporary techniques, integrating 3D scanning technology. The glitches from these scans inform her visual language, conveying information loss that spans across generations. Her works reflect on her family history of migration, capturing the complexities of cultural heritage and the convoluted notion of belonging. Influenced by her upbringing, her research has been focusing on Chinese restaurants in Stockholm, exploring their cultural history and projected Chineseness catered to a certain gaze.
Lam was the recipient of The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award 2025 and represented Sweden at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024. In 2021, she was the winner of Dagens Nyheter Culture Prize and was shortlisted for the Future Generation Art Prize. She will have solo exhibitions at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in Oslo in June 2026, Vienna Secession in September 2026, and SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah. Her recent solo exhibitions took place at Moderna Museet (Stockholm, 2025 & 2018), PHI Foundation (Montreal, 2025), Hammer Museum (Los Angeles, 2025), The Power Plant (Toronto, 2024), Studio Voltaire (London, 2024), Buffalo AKG Art Museum (New York, 2023), Swiss Institute (New York, 2023), PORTIKUS (Frankfurt, 2023), Lidköping Konsthall (2023), Bonniers Konsthall (Stockholm, 2022 & 2018), and Trondheim Kunstmuseum (2021).
Lam currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.
