he lift stopped at the 22nd floor of “Building Zhi” at No.41 on Hengshan Road. Turning to the left, we saw a gentleman-like English housekeeper waiting by the huge glass archway, gracefully leaning forward a bit and greeting us with a smile. Behind him a lady in gray and having symbolic purplish red ringlets was hurrying out of the depth of the parlor. While speaking rapidly on a cellular phone in Cantonese, she gave brief instructions to a nearby waiter in English now and then, and motioned from afar for us to sit and wait for a while.

“I could only spare half an hour,” coming near to us she changed to Mandarin with a Cantonese accent, “Sorry for that.” She looked seriously at us, myself and a photographer, as we seemed to be interrupting her busy world.

She was Pearl Lam, who has a mixed identity: the daughter of a billionaire in Hong Kong – Lin Baixin, a distinguished fashion lady in Shanghai, the founder of Contrast Gallery, an art curator and a collector of contemporary art. Then she was seated in a made-to-order sofa, which blended Chinese and Western styles and cost over $20,000. She spoke in a low and deep voice, waving her hands dramatically when getting excited. She looked smart and energetic.

Behind her was the 9,700-square-meter apartment, called “home,” where antiques and collected art works of all sorts filled, including pieces by Zhang Huan and Shao Fan, and all the furniture pieces were in a unique. There were splendid pendent lamps adorned with peacock feathers, thick glass tea table with rock fault veins; even the cream-colored porcelain tea cups the steward brought there had spectacular shapes too. It was one of her lodging places besides those in Hong Kong and London. When she was there, guests and friends might often fill up the apartment. Museum professionals from London, rich collectors from France, and native artists, critics and fashion celebrities in Shanghai might appear simultaneously at the long table that could seat 50 to 60 people in the dinning section of the parlor, talking about design and art, or Chinese culture and world fashions.

Since January of 1992 when she first founded Contrast Gallery in Hong Kong, Pearl Lam has given a free rein to her passion for art collections and modern design creations. The gallery was originally intended to help her artist friends in London to exhibit and sell their excellent furniture designs in Hong Kong during the 1990s’ economic recession in Great Britain. Following that, a family business trip had help Peal Lam decide upon her career, where she crazily put her enthusiasm and money.

After graduating from Buckingham University in 1993, Lam was sent by her parents to Shanghai to supervise the construction process of the building at No.41 on Hengshan Road. Dealing with the dull construction engineers there bored her, and she soon diverted her exuberant energy and curiosity to the study of old furniture, snuff bottle and other things in Chinese antique and art markets.

“I love to talk with artists and I learnt a lot from them. Though they’re creating art works of mostly a Western style, they’re individually collecting Chinese old furniture pieces and antiques too.”She recalled the details in those years that had motivated her to understand Chinese history, philosophy, music and aesthetics. She admitted that the foreigners around her who were at home in Chinese culture had also given her many inspirations. Comparing her experiences in both Western and Chinese cultures, this “Chinese” -- who was born in Hong Kong and educated in Britain -- ultimately sensed the importance of identity and cultural identification during her trip in Shanghai this time.

“I’d like to show another view and another taste,” Lam persisted in her art theories and firmly believed the collision of the mature and exquisite beauty of traditional Chinese art and handicraft art with the formal innovations in the constant deconstruction of contemporary Western art could produce brand-new inspirations. She funded various creations in Eastern and Western countries, looking around for distinguished artists and trusting them to practice her art theories.

Pearl Lam has collected a great deal. And she likes to show off her works. Her home features some of her favorite artists, such as Luo Xu, the Yunnan based sculptor. And she also has a private gallery like space in the same building. Downstairs, on the first level, is the Contrasts Gallery. And an even larger space is at Jiangxi Road in Shanghai. A satellite branch operates in Beijing, in the 798 Arts District.

In 1997 and 1998, Contrast Gallery held a major exhibition “Oriental Treasure: Chinese Decoration Styles in the 21st Century,” which was held in Hong Kong, London and Paris respectively, and the blended designs transcending history and national boundaries. The show won universal acclaim. From 2004 to 2006, Contrast Gallery brought out again a more stirring global itinerant exhibition – “Acute Awareness: Collision and Blending of Chinese and French Art.” The exhibition was shown in Shanghai and Beijing in turn, and in 2006 it went on to Paris and other European cities.

During the exhibitions, certain ideas were spread, such as this view: based on the 5,000-year Chinese tradition, artists from different countries and different cultural backgrounds have created a brand-new visual language and discovered an “intercultural” art. “Intercultural” referred not to the need to blend different cultures but to the creation of a new, quite explosive and expressive way of communication by respecting and understanding different cultures.

Apart from planning exhibitions and looking for distinguished artists, Lam also earnestly got herself involved in the design creations to carry out all sorts of crazy ideas in her mind. In 1999, she set up the mysterious and low-profile XYZ Design group, none of whose four members had ever received any professional training in design. Actually, except for her none of the other members had even disclosed their identities. They had created a catalogue of lamps and artworks based on the transformed elements of classical Chinese styles. “It’s not difficult,” Lam laughed and said. “We use our own judgment. We don’t follow Western standards blindly.” A proud look appeared on her face.

“The sale is never the most important thing.” Lam had a different view too when talking about art sales and art market. “There’s exclusively money, money, and money again with contemporary art. Twenty years ago many artists worked perhaps for the sake of art. Later, they worked for fame, and now for money.” She spoke with much reproach for the strong speculative atmosphere of Chinese art market; and she emphasized repeatedly that the most important part of art was to show something to the public, to show different views of this world. “I don’t care about money-making matters,” she shrugged light-heartedly, as if she had never had any financial worries over what she loved. “I select only those works and artists I like.” She said.

In 2005, new spaces of Contrast Gallery were opened in Shanghai, Beijing and Hangzhou respectively, and its new exhibitions were held everywhere. The latest data on the recent version of its official website indicated the Gallery currently had more than 35 cooperative artists from China and Western countries, like the XYZ Design group, Martin Szekely, Andre Pultman, Borek Sipek, Shao Fan, Luo Xu, and Lin Jing; and the Gallery planned to hold more than 12 exhibitions in the whole year of 2008. Contrasts and Lam are also representing the artist Zhang Huan, for Asia. Pace Gallery handles Zhang in the United States.

The precious half-hour elapsed very quickly. Rising to her feet, Lam walked straightly up to her subordinates, who had been waiting nearby long, and discussed with them about other work, without a moment of rest. Perhaps she had got used to such a life long agoIt seemed the day before she had been seen forever busy and energetic at the Miami Design Expo or Shanghai Contemporary Art Expo. And on next day she was probably heard laughing and talking loudly with guests and friends at her homes on the Savile Row Street of London or in the Zhi Building in Shanghai.

“I deal with more than design,” said the talkative and effervescent Lam. “Actually we have many more art exhibitions in a single year. But before us none of the other galleries had done business related to design. So in this field I’m the No.1, and I see design as art.” With huge investment of money and effort she had full confidence in what she concerned with. “All has just begun.” Lam said.




Related Links:
·Contrasts Gallery
·Pearl Lam's letter to a French Artist