In the exhibition Shadow Play, artist Lap-See Lam’s immersive video installations unveil ancestral stories and myths that echo the experiences of the Cantonese diaspora, delving into themes of heritage and cultural memory.
The artist guides us through Tales of the Altersea and Floating Sea Palace, two works presented together for the very first time as part of this exhibition at PHI.
*French and English subtitles available. Click on the button in the bottom right corner of the video to activate them.
Lap-See Lam was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1990, where she lives and works. She obtained a Master’s degree in Fine Art in 2020 from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. Lam’s work traverses diverse genres and disciplines, from video installation to live performance, blending contemporary techniques with traditional references and methods. Lam draws on experiences of the Cantonese diaspora, including traditional forms of storytelling such as shadow play and Cantonese opera, as well as the aesthetics of Western Chinese restaurants. Her work creates mythical imaginations of Chinoiserie as defined by imperialist history, while simultaneously reflecting on her own family history of migration to both claim ownership and complicate the idea of cultural heritage.
Lap-See Lam represented Sweden at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024. Her site-specific, audio-visual installation,The Altersea Opera, realized together with composer Tze Yeung Ho and textile artist Kholod Hawash, was commissioned by Moderna Museet in Stockholm for the Nordic Pavilion. Recent solo exhibitions include The Power Plant Gallery of Contemporary Art, Toronto (2024-25); Studio Voltaire, London (2024); AKG Art Museum, Buffalo (2023-24); Swiss Institute, New York; Portikus, Frankfurt (both 2023); Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm (2022); Trondheim Kunstmuseum (2021); and Moderna Museet Malmö (2018–19). In 2025, Lam will present exhibitions at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; and PHI, Montréal.
451 Saint-Jean Street
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