Ahead of Art Basel Hong Kong, artist Jaffa Lam tells us about facing ageism, being inspired by social issues, and how she knew she couldn’t be a teacher

I met my first mentor Cheung Yee [a contemporary painter known for his cast paper murals] at the end of my bachelor’s studies. He helped me jump out of the box and told me not to follow the rules. I started to believe I could be an artist and not just an art teacher. In 2003, during the Sars outbreak, I had my first solo exhibition, Murmur.

I wanted to shout because of how depressing the atmosphere was. During that time, I lost my part-time teaching job. I couldn’t meet any of my friends and I didn’t dare go to hospital when a chisel hit my toe. I lived in extremely poor and depressed conditions. I didn’t even know if the show was good or not. The Chinese artist Xu Bing came and said it was good that I expressed strong emotions so poetically. It was very important for me to get that first vote of confidence from him.

I joined several of [global artists’ professional development and cultural exchange organisation] the Triangle Network’s artist-in- residency programmes in Taiwan, Bangladesh and Kenya between 2003 and 2005. Through artist workshops and communication with the international art world, I realised that art is not just about working alone in a studio. Artists need to go out [in the world] to discover things, [develop their own views] and learn about other views. Most people didn’t really understand me in Hong Kong at the time, but I grew more confident after I won the Asian Cultural Council Award in 2006, which sent me to live in New York for five months in 2007. In New York, I was able to research art in public settings and I met very inspiring people. I might not be the best artist but I’m a very lucky one with so many angels around me. It’s been a blessing to have teachers, artists and friends encourage me when I was lost and confused in life. 

I’m trying my best to survive and be a good artist who truly believes in her work. I create my works without thinking about their commercial success. My survival over the years should give courage to the next generation. I hope my work will stay in people’s minds for a while, raise questions and get them to share their views on it with the people around them.

Hong Kong has a deep cultural heritage—from its bamboo crafting, neon bending and wood furniture making. There are also a lot of retired tailors and seamstresses who previously worked in the garment industry, who I am inspired by. I still work with these old masters [Lam famously employs unemployed seamstresses and welders to help her create her art]. 

I’m sensitive to vulnerable people.The works that they have produced with me have been shown at Art Basel and in museums too [one such work is Trolley Party—a 14-metre long patchwork canvas that features six shopping trolleys “partying” made from discarded materials]. The artwork demonstrates the power of ordinary people. They are housewives and retired people, and not many people have credited them before; the collaboration has shown their abilities and the collective power of a community.

I’m lucky enough to have tasted the sweetness of art and it’s important for me to share it. Art is not a luxury product—it’s spiritual food that everyone should benefit from. Most families in Hong Kong don’t know the power of art. They don’t dare to dream of studying art. A lady who worked with me for several years trusted me and let her daughter choose art as her major in high school and then allowed me to support her further during her studies in university—and now she is a young artist. Another example is a young child who saw his mother differently when he saw her work with me at Art Basel Hong Kong last year. Now he follows her to art exhibitions and is so proud of his mum’s work. If I can pass the power of art to others, it could change someone’s life. I’ll never really know when, but I’ll keep trying.

I’m currently working on Stars Navigator (2024), a project which will [be showcased] during Art Basel this month at the Axel Vervoordt Gallery booth. The project refers to the collective power of sailing—with wind, ropes, sails, nature and human power, and the joint effort of a group of people to steer it. The “sailing” work that I’m currently showing at the Axel Vervoordt Gallery in Antwerp is about saying goodbye to the people who left Hong Kong, while the new “sailing” work to be shown at Art Basel is about blessings during the journey. I will again work with the Hong Kong Women Workers’ Association to make a lot of stars [representing hopes and wishes] on the sail, and I will show this work in a dark room at the booth of Axel Vervoordt Gallery.

The biggest challenge is when young curators say that I’m too old to work with them, as they usually want younger artists. That’s the only thing I can’t change— the process of ageing. I go to see their shows and learn from them. I keep polishing my work in skill and concept. I read and exercise and hope my brain and body will still work well if anyone invites me to show again. I never think of commercial success—I just want to keep showing my art and speaking to the world until the end of my life.

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