Podcast
The Pearl Lam Podcast
Hosted by Pearl Lam (林明珠) · EN
The Pearl Lam Podcast takes followers on a journey of raw and intimate conversations to inspire, educate and disrupt conventional ways of thinking alongside some of the world’s brightest talents who have proven themselves as unafraid to challenge convention - no matter what.
The Pearl Lam Podcast was launched by Pearl Lam (林明珠) in 2023 with a mission to inspire, educate and disrupt conventional ways of thinking alongside some of the world’s brightest and emerging voices. The Pearl Lam Podcast is filmed on location all over the world in a reflection of Pearl’s longstanding advocacy for building cross-cultural understanding. The Pearl Lam Podcast has been filmed in London, Paris, New York, LA, Seoul, Singapore and Hong Kong.
The Pearl Lam Podcast host, Pearl Lam, is a cultural commentator, an international gallerist and a leading global authority on contemporary art. Her galleries in Hong Kong and Shanghai are well known globally for their intellectual impact and ambition and for helping to break down outmoded precepts. Pearl Lam founded the China Art Foundation in 2008 because she believes that art has the power to transcend cultural boundaries and to foster mutual understanding. Pearl Lam's most popular mantra, which she repeatedly uses in The Pearl Lam Podcast, is that “art is not about passport”.
Pearl Lam is recognised as an influential figure within both the contemporary art and business worlds. She has been an expert panel speaker at major global business events, including for Credit Suisse, JP Morgan and
13episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Pearl Lam Podcast | With Su Xiaobai
2w ago00:56:41Tap to summarizeIn this Mandarin-language episode of the Pearl Lam Podcast, Pearl Lam speaks with artist Su Xiaobai. The discussion centres on Su’s practice, shaped by material, process and repetition, with a focus on his lacquer works. Reflecting on his development, he considers the interplay between control and chance, and the role of time, discipline and surface in the formation of his paintings. The episode also addresses the philosophical and cultural frameworks underpinning his work, including the influence of Eastern thought and the tension between tradition and contemporary expression. Working predominantly in monochrome, Su’s practice resists narrative, instead emphasising texture, depth and perception.
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The Pearl Lam Podcast | With Harry Lee
3w ago00:33:45Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Pearl Lam Podcast, Pearl Lam is joined by Harry Lee, founder and chairman of the Hong Kong Choral Foundation, for a discussion on music, education and community-building in Hong Kong. The conversation explores choral music not simply as performance, but as a form of social and educational infrastructure. Lee reflects on the foundation’s efforts to provide students from under-resourced schools with access to structured choir training, and discusses how collective singing can foster confidence, discipline, collaboration and a stronger sense of belonging.
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The Pearl Lam Podcast | With Angelle Siyang-Le
Apr 1500:34:57Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Angelle Siyang-Le, Director of Art Basel Hong Kong, offers a measured and direct perspective on the realities shaping the art world. Grounded in her experience, she reflects on the differences between Eastern and Western frameworks, where competition is not inherently oppositional, but can function as a form of shared advancement. A passing comment in Hong Kong, describing the city as a “cultural desert,” becomes a point of interrogation, raising questions around perception, cultural authority, and how narratives are constructed. The discussion remains focused on how value is defined and sustained, and how cities position themselves within a global cultural landscape that continues to shift.
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The Pearl Lam Podcast | With Qiu Anxiong & David Chan
Apr 901:03:23Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Pearl Lam Podcast, Pearl Lam is joined in Shanghai by Hong Kong-based curator David Chan and artist Qiu Anxiong to reflect on the evolving landscape of Chinese contemporary art. The conversation explores questions of visibility, cultural influence and the frameworks that have shaped global perceptions of Chinese contemporary art. Looking back to the early 2000s, when Chinese artists dominated biennials, exhibitions and auctions, they consider whether the current shift marks a decline or a more complex structural rebalancing. They also examine the expanding cultural infrastructure across Hong Kong and mainland China, and what it means for artists to engage with global audiences on their own terms through sustained inquiry, intellectual rigour and evolving forms of cultural exchange.
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The Pearl Lam Podcast | With Alimi Adewale & Maria Bojan
Mar 600:51:44Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Pearl Lam Podcast, Pearl Lam is joined by artist Alimi Adewale and curator Maria Bojan for a conversation on art, authorship and the complexities of the global contemporary landscape. The discussion examines the Western tradition of “art for art’s sake” and the expectation that artists must occupy fixed positions within cultural discourse. Together, they question the role of taste in shaping art history and address the persistent “fetish of authenticity” that continues to frame how non-Western artists are perceived in a global context. The conversation also considers what it means for artists from China, Africa, Europe and beyond to engage with one another outside imposed narratives — focusing instead on artistic strength, intention and shared creative language. A dialogue on cultural exchange, critical frameworks and the shifting structures of the art world today.
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The Pearl Lam Podcast | With Georgina Adam
Feb 1200:44:51Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Pearl Lam Podcast, Pearl Lam is joined by art market journalist and author Georgina Adam to examine the evolving dynamics of the global art market. Drawing on historical insight and current developments, the conversation explores structural challenges such as liquidity, high transaction costs, and the art market’s fundamental differences from traditional financial systems. It also addresses the influence of technology and digital art, alongside ongoing concerns around transparency and environmental sustainability. The discussion considers generational shifts, geopolitical uncertainty, and demographic constraints in emerging markets as continuing pressures on the sector. Despite these complexities, the exchange conveys a measured optimism that a sustained commitment to art will continue to underpin the market’s long-term resilience.
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The Pearl Lam Podcast | With Charles Li
Jan 2900:53:13Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Pearl Lam Podcast, Pearl Lam speaks with Charles Li, author and professor of linguistics, in a conversation shaped by history, culture, and lived experience. Drawing on a transcription rich with significant historical dates and timelines, the discussion traces transformative periods in China’s political and cultural evolution, situating personal narrative within broader historical change. The exchange reflects deeply rooted cultural values, examining how traditional Chinese icons such as Lord Guan and Confucius continue to influence personal ethics and collective identity. Li’s journey highlights personal resilience and academic achievement, revealing how education and cultural negotiation shaped his path across China, Hong Kong, and the United States. Economic realities are woven throughout the conversation, from the cost of a modest meal in 1958 to the long-term significance of academic royalties, offering a vivid picture of past financial conditions and the support systems that sustained intellectual life. The dialogue also addresses experiences of racial prejudice and institutional discrimination, underscoring a critical stance toward unfair cultural and political practices. Bridging Eastern and Western perspectives, the conversation invites reflection on how different cultures approach art, education, power, and individualism in an increasingly globalized world.
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The Pearl Lam Podcast | With Dr Eva Cwynar
Jan 1600:27:20Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Pearl Lam Podcast, Pearl Lam speaks with Dr. Eva Cwynar, an endocrinologist and metabolic specialist whose work focuses on hormones, metabolism, and longevity.Their conversation explores contemporary thinking around anti-aging and the enduring search for a “fountain of youth,” examining how advances in hormonal science, metabolic health, and regenerative medicine are reshaping ideas of ageing. Dr. Cwynar discusses the role hormones play in energy, resilience, and overall vitality, alongside emerging interventions such as peptides and their potential impact on cellular repair and biological ageing.Moving beyond surface-level aesthetics, the discussion considers anti-aging as a broader framework for sustaining health, function, and quality of life over time. Throughout the episode, medical insight is balanced with personal reflection, grounding complex science in lived experience and practical understanding of longevity in everyday life.
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The Pearl Lam Podcast | With Daniel McClean
Jan 700:35:37Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Pearl Lam Podcast, cultural influencer Pearl Lam sits with art aficionado, lawyer and art magazine writer Daniel McClean who regularly writes and produces shows in the art world. To Pearl Lam’s delight, this is a man who wears many hats and who has also authored and edited several books while acting as an independent curator with commercial gallery experience. “I see the good, the bad and the ugly,” says Daniel McClean about his bird’s eye view of the ever-changing art business. The duo discusses the importance of authentication as Pearl Lam draws viewers to the fact that despite the increasing digitalisation the art world is enduring, people’s interest in Old Masters is actually being revived instead of dwindling. This is where Daniel McClean shares his experience, using an example where AI authenticated a Caravaggio in an auction. The lawyer believes that artificial intelligence could provide valuable assistance in this process, with careful human guidance, since he doesn’t believe that AI-authentication could be entirely definitive. This illuminating episode also delves into blockchain technology, the rising concerns of maintaining legacy through art, the changing role of art custodians and how art is currently being showcased and curated in exciting new ways.
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The Pearl Lam Podcast | With Michal Korman
Dec 2300:32:50Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Pearl Lam Podcast, cultural influencer Pearl Lam sits in Slovak-born academic painter Michal Korman’s art studio in Burgundy, France. Candid discussions about delicious French delicacies aside, the conversation with artist Korman paints a sumptuous picture of a man who since childhood began a lifelong career in art. Having thrived as a Parisian painter, Korman brings Pearl Lam and the audience into a fascinating world of meditative brushstrokes, the transformation of Soviet symbolism into Greco-Roman inspired landscapes and the thought-provoking differences between East Asian and Western Renaissance art. Pearl Lam steers the talk into the territory of AI art and the dwindling demand for fine-tuned skills, a trend which is on the rise in the increasingly digital art world. Here, Korman explains the enduring power of the hand-painted art he creates while sharing one frustrating experience when he “painted” with a computer and found the process severely lacking in craftsmanship. Overall, this episode provides viewers with a fascinating insight into the future of art, the globalisation of styles and places where ancient Eastern wisdom has influenced the artistic traditions celebrated in the Western world.
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