Percy Kam Lok Lam 林錦樂
+1 808 398 1858
percylams@gmail.com
Hong Kong - Honolulu - Chicago
Percy Lam (b. 1991) was born and raised in Hong Kong, and immigrated to the U.S. at age 17. Lam is a fiber-based artist and his practice focuses on the exploration of his remote relationship to Hong Kong while he is currently located in the U.S. The way of making is a mending process for him to reconnect with his birthplace.
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.
林錦樂（b.1991）在香港出生和成長，於17歲時移民到美國。林是一位纖維藝術家，他的作品重點在探索他旅居於美國與香港之間的一種遙距關係，而其創作手法則是一個他與香港重新連結的修補過程。
林移民到美國夏威夷不久後，便藉着當時的一首廣東歌而首次認識了一種對美國烏托邦的想像。該歌的MV展示了一間美式餐廳裡的牆壁鋪滿了成千上萬的皮禮士（PEZ）糖盒為裝飾。一向愛好收藏玩意的林便開始收集皮禮士糖盒，並視這過程為他在美國生活的記號。林然後開始以皮禮士包裝紙和糖果作為創作媒介——包裝紙鮮艷的顏色和糖果像磚頭的形狀，使他聯想到香港的建築物和燈光。
林的作品旨通過使用各種材料和技術以呈現香港的形象，目的是探索他與他仍然認為是家鄉的城市——香港——之間的複雜關係。林希望透過編織、縫製、霓虹燈製作等重塑香港的城市景貌，以海外港人的視角去縫合他過去與現在的身份。林目前的創作方向環繞着香港正在消失的霓虹燈文化、獨特的房屋現象，以及最近的社會動盪問題，透過運用溫柔的材料來縫補因長時間缺席香港而失去的身份認同，與此同時他希望藉着作品能遙距地為香港的文化和價值觀帶來新的衝擊。