Alison Lam |
Alison Lam sees the potential for beauty in what others might believe to be ‘unwanted’ or ‘useless’. Her material choices - the unpredictability of molten metal and the element of chance that comes with creating ceramics - mirror the life she and many of us live: one that can be of uncertainty, flux, and change.
The term ‘discarded’ encompasses her experience as a mother of two autistic children and the material choices she makes to convey this journey visually. It is a journey many of us experience at one time or another in our lives, one which starts with grief, the notion that we are grieving for a life that would not exist. The writings of Leonard Koren on the subject of Wabi-Sabi resonates in the way they describe the importance of not dismissing anything or anyone. From a different perspective our view of the world and the people in it can be transformed with the ‘greatness that exists in the inconspicuous and over-looked details’ (Koren, 2008). In her role as a mother, she observes the frustrations and difficulties her two boys with autism encounter as they struggle to communicate. She collects conversations through listening to their interactions with each other and those around them. This dialogue is essential to them, to herself and to others in understanding one’s place in the world. Alison has aimed to make tangible that which we all take for granted: our agency as individuals with the right to be recognised and understood. Alison Lam is a neurodiverse socially engaged artist with qualifications in teaching art and holds an MA in Fine Art and Social Practice. She is currently a teacher and visiting lecturer at Middlesex and Brighton University on both BA and MA courses. She is also an Artist Educator at October Gallery and Bow Arts. Exhibitions Wellbeing workshops to Markfield Community, Tottenham London, 2017-2021 Artist in Residence at Lauderdale House, London, 2020 -2021 Guest Lecturer at Brighton University 2019 - present Guest Lecturer at Middlesex University 2019 – present Misfits, Lauderdale House, London, 2021 Natures Medicine, Open Door Show, Hertfordshire, 2020 SEISMA Magazine, Front Cover and feature, 1st edition, Worldwide, 2020 Obscura, Lumen Gallery, London, 2019 Together, Islington Arts Factory, London, 2019 MA Graduate Show, Middlesex University, London, 2019 Substrata, Crypt Gallery, London, 2019 RUNG Magazine & Online page, Bristol & UK wide, 2019 Talk to public about my work, Truman Brewery Gallery, London, 2019 Truman Brewery Gallery, Brick Lane London June 2019 Salon des Refuses, Camden London June 2019 INGDiscerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London, 2018 ‘Notion of the Beautifully Discarded’ Film shown at Social Network Summit, Sheffield, 2018 Gestures, Ply Galley, London, 2018 Ply Gallery, London, 2018 Autism Awareness, Tavistock Clinic, London, 2017 Artist Teacher, Middlesex University, London, 2009 Stockist of my work, Falconer Arts, London, 2000 - 2003 Stockists of my work, Clerkenwell Arts, London, 1997 - 1999 |
|
