Urbs in Horto

As an addendum to this post: I’ve just been announced as one of the Semifinalists for the Urban Photo Awards 2023! Thank you to the Super Jury!

Also, my photos (On the Boardwalk and Petal, both shot on my iPhone 5s in 2014) will be exhibited at Trieste Photo Days in Italy! This will be my second year in a row showing my work in the international photography festival.

(Before then, you can view Petal in Sweet Home Chicago at the 4th Floor Gallery of the Bridgeport Art Center starting on the 21st!)

It Pours

My 2017 photo Singing Sands—shot on my iPhone 5s—has been selected to be exhibited in Ancestral Landscapes: Investigating Heritage and Home at NOT REAL ART! View the show here. Thank you to curator Kirsten Bengtson-Lykoudis for choosing my work.

(This is a photograph I took while walking to Crescent Lake after a camel ride on Echoing Sand Dune, a.k.a. Singing Sand Dune, or Mingsha Shan, or Mingsha Mountain, in the oasis of Dunhuang—which in ancient times was a bustling hub on the Silk Road—in Gansu province, China. One of my favorite places on Earth. View more of my mobile photography here.)

So, with Twitter imploding, for social media you can also follow me at:

• Facebook: facebook.com/TheJennyLam
• Instagram: instagram.com/artistsonthelam
• TikTok: tiktok.com/@artistsonthelam
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thejennylam
• Tumblr: artistsonthelam.tumblr.com
• Mastodon: mastodon.art/@jennylam
• I’ve joined Meta’s new Twitter competitor Threads, of course: threads.net/@artistsonthelam

And if anyone has a Bluesky invite, I’d be much obliged!

When It Rains

I’m one of the Selected Photographers for the Urban Photo Awards 2023 in Trieste, Italy! And the competition received a staggering 12,000 submissions! Two of my works have been published in their gallery: My 2014 photos Petal (yes, the same piece in yesterday’s post) and On the Boardwalk, both shot on my iPhone 5s. Thank you to all the jurors!

[Update: I’m a Semifinalist!]

Speaking of that beloved phone I used as my camera for seven years… Here’s one of the photographs Taylor Glascock took of me for HuffPost Culture Shifters 2023 that did make it into the article.

My favorite portrait in the feature.

As Taylor wrote on her Instagram, “Jenny was so game for my ideas on a frigid Chicago day.” It’s not often I’m in front of the lens, and it was fun!

And: Stay safe in this air quality, everyone!

Baby don’t you wanna go

My 2014 photograph Petal—shot on my iPhone 5s—has been selected to be exhibited in Sweet Home Chicago at the Bridgeport Art Center! I’ve always thought the BAC was such a beautiful venue and I’m overjoyed to show my art there. Thank you to curator Marci Rubin for choosing my work.

Bridgeport Art Center. Photo via BAC.

When:
July 21 – September 1, 2023
Opening Reception: Friday, July 21, 7-10pm

Where:
Bridgeport Art Center, 4th Floor Gallery
1200 W. 35th St., Chicago, IL 60609

Petal, 2014.

Also, in case you missed the previous post: I’ve been named one of HuffPost’s Culture Shifters of the Year!

And right on time for this post: I’ve just received the photos taken of me for the feature, including outtakes! Here’s the very first photo Taylor Glascock shot of me on that chilly March day, outside the Chicago Cultural Center, before we headed to Chinatown. They were both among my list of locations that are important to me.

Sweet home Chicago indeed.

Culture Shift

I’ve been sitting on this news for months, but now that it’s been published, I’m giddy with excitement (and embarrassment?*) I can finally share with you that I’ve been named one of 2023’s Culture Shifters by HuffPost! *(I burst into laughter when I saw the headline.)

I’m so honored to be featured on a list alongside such creative change-makers. Endless thanks, love, and gratitude to:

• Reporter Yue Li, a graduate student at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. Yue had reached out to me for “a profile story about an outstanding Chicago-based artist” and interviewed me all the way back in January (I remember we wished each other a Happy Chinese New Year!). She then pitched her story to the HuffPost culture team in March… and not only did their editorial team say yes, but the editor also said she’d love to include me as a Culture Shifter!

• Freelance photographer Taylor Glascock. Taylor took these photos of me in Chicago’s Chinatown on a brisk (to say the least!) but bright March afternoon. Everything I’m wearing in them I’ve had for at least 14 years (exception: my sneakers, which I’ve had for 7) (this is a pattern you’ll find with me and belongings)

• Senior editor of culture Erin Evans

• Senior photo editor Chris McGonigal

• Artist Nancy Bechtol, one of my Artists on the Lam, who was also interviewed for this piece and had such kind words to say about me

• Everyone who’s been a part of my journey. We don’t get here alone!

Read the interview here.

Talk of the Town

To accompany my solo exhibition at Harold Washington Library, I’ll be doing an Artist Talk on Monday, May 15, 1-2pm! The talk is a hybrid event that can also be attended via Zoom.

Image via Chicago Public Library.

If you’re joining in person:
400 S. State St.
1st floor, inside Popular Library
(Enter on State and immediately turn left)

Masks are strongly encouraged in all CPL locations.

Thank you again to Chicago Public Library for the opportunity and for choosing me to exhibit my artwork in HWLC! I’m proud to be a part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and CPL’s 150th anniversary celebration!

Case of You

Ta-da! I installed my art over the weekend. My solo exhibition at Harold Washington Library, the Chicago Public Library’s main branch, is now on view and will be up all of May in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as well as CPL’s 150th anniversary! My exhibit is a photographic love letter to Chicago, featuring photographs I’ve taken around our wonderful city throughout the past decade—all shot on my iPhone 5s.

Also, for any of you who’ve always wanted to find one of my Dreams of a City postcards out in the wild over the years but haven’t been able to: I left some there. Feel free to take one!

Location:
400 S. State St.
1st floor, inside the Popular Library
(Enter on State and immediately turn left. Once in Popular Library, the display cases are right by the front desk.)

Hours:
M-Th 9am-8pm
F & Sat 9am-5pm
Sun 1-5pm

(Note: All CPL locations will be closed May 2 for Staff Training Day and May 29 for Memorial Day.)

Masks are strongly encouraged in all CPL locations.

Happy AAPIHM!

Frame of Mind

It took me hours to mat and frame my photographs but it was well worth it for this result. These 12 photos of mine—all shot on my iPhone 5s beginning in 2014—will be in my solo exhibition at Harold Washington Library, the Chicago Public Library’s main branch, throughout May in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as well as CPL’s 150th anniversary. I’ll be installing this photographic love letter to Chicago tomorrow!

Mobility

I’m delighted to announce that I’ve been awarded an Honorable Mention in the 12th Annual Mobile Photography Awards for my 2015 photo In the Sky in the Silhouettes category! Thank you, MPA!

(Shot on my iPhone 5s, it’s a candid of my late paternal grandmother silhouetted against Kowloon on the 100th floor off the tallest building in Hong Kong. Browse more of my mobile photography here.)

And in case you missed the previous post: I’ve been chosen to exhibit my artwork at CICA Museum in Korea! I’ll be featured in the international exhibition Color 2023, which will be held 13 September to 1 October.

P.S. Turn up.

Flying Colors

I’m so excited to share that I’ll be exhibiting my art in Korea! My photos, shot on my iPhone 5s, will be featured in CICA Museum’s international exhibition Color 2023, which will be held 13 September to 1 October 2023. Thank you to Czong Institute for Contemporary Art for the opportunity! This will be my second time showing my work overseas. The first was summer through fall 2022 in Italy!

CICA Museum. Photo via Czong Institute for Contemporary Art.

Pictured below are the photos I’ll be exhibiting. The first and second ones are from 2014, the third and fourth are from 2015, and the fifth is from 2017.

View more of my mobile photography here, and mark your calendars for my upcoming solo show of Chicago photos this May at Harold Washington Library Center.

And HYGGE, the online group show I’ve curated, is still going! View it here.

Winter Garden

I’ve been chosen to exhibit my artwork at the Chicago Public Library during May in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! I’ll be exhibiting at the Harold Washington Library Center—the massive main library downtown on State Street! Thank you, CPL!

In 2018, I was at the West Chicago Avenue Branch in Austin; in 2019, I was at the Coleman Branch in Woodlawn; and in 2020, I was going to show in Logan Square, but it was cancelled when COVID hit.

This year, my exhibit will essentially be a photographic love letter to Chicago, featuring photographs I’ve taken around our wonderful city throughout the past decade—a fitting display, since (unbeknownst to me when I dreamt up the idea) CPL happens to be celebrating its 150th anniversary! Super stoked for spring.

Harold Washington Library. Photo via Chicago Public Library.

Speaking of exhibits and thoughts of spring, I’ve curated a new online exhibition of 30 artists from around the world, at all stages of their careers, working across all media, and it’s all about getting cozy with art. Read the press release for HYGGE below (and, if you’re navigating from the blog’s main page, after the jump).

He[art]h

I am thrilled to announce the online opening of HYGGE international exhibition! And it’s the perfect weather for this show too! (Freezing, my friends!) I’m so excited to share with you the amazing group I’ve curated; they’re 30 talented artists working in all mediums and forms (painting, illustration, photography, sculpture, multimedia, textiles, you name it) at all stages of their careers (for some of them, this is their first exhibition ever) from all over the world (for a couple of them, it’s actually summer). They are:

Alix Anne Shaw, Andrew Nelson, Anthony Le, Caroline Walser, Charles Inge, Christine Lozano, Cristy Corso, Danielle Pontarelli, Darcie Denton, Darin Latimer, David Martinez, Diane Ponder, Eli Tatosian, Emily Calvo, Glenn Wexler, Han Songyun, Karen I. Hirsch, Katharine Joy Houpt, Kristel Becares, Kristen Neveu, Kurt Kreissl, Marie Magnetic, Mark Pol, Mendy, Nancy Bechtol, Nancy Natow-Cassidy, Patricia Biesen, Sami Mark, Su Lin Lim, and Tony Tran.

View the exhibition here (main page) and here (click on each thumbnail to read each artist’s story and browse their artwork).

Collect the art here.

Stay in, get cozy, and enjoy!

Beginnings

Happy and healthy new year, everyone!

Looking back: These were my top liked Instagram videos and photos of 2022. (View ‘em in full here.) Thanks, friends.

Looking forward: As announced in the previous post, I’m starting 2023 by curating a new online exhibition, HYGGE, and here’s the call for artists! All artists working in all mediums and forms (painting, illustration, photography, sculpture, multimedia, installation, textiles, performance, etc.) from anywhere in the world are invited to apply. Deadline: January 16, 11:59pm.

Call for Artists: HYGGE

Artists on the Lam invites all artists to submit work for this online group exhibition, opening January 30, 2023

hyg·ge (pronunciation: hyoo-guh) noun

1. a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or wellbeing, evoked by simple comforts such as being wrapped in a blanket, having good conversations, enjoying food, etc.
2. a form of everyday togetherness; a pleasant and highly valued everyday experience of safety, equality, personal wholeness and a spontaneous social flow

We’ve all been there: trudging through snow, trying to shield our faces from wind so cold it hurts, questioning our lives and life itself.

One thing this pandemic has taught us is how to better appreciate the simple joys of staying in, being with people you care about, and enjoying art together, from watching a film to browsing an online art exhibition—really!

Creating interactive exhibitions—such as 2016’s acclaimed LEXICON and 2012’s acclaimed I CAN DO THAT—had been in Chicago artist and independent curator Jenny Lam’s wheelhouse. When Lam pivoted to digital exhibits during the pandemic, this resulted in such shows as 2020’s acclaimed SLAYSIAN, which not only garnered praise but also had outlets remarking on the very nature of the virtual platform:

Sixty Inches from Center: “Since she couldn’t bring audiences to see the show in person, she brought SLAYSIAN directly to audiences, transforming it into an online exhibition we can view from the safety of our homes. It’s now available for us to click through in digital space, where we are free to take our time and linger over the amazing work of all the artists she brought together, including extra multimedia content that wouldn’t have been possible in a traditional physical exhibition space.”

Winter’s Bloom: “Every one of the featured artists [has] a rich story to share and I encourage you to take a moment to sit with them, to share them. Just this morning my pieces came into bed with me, snuggling on a lazy Sunday. On a whim I pulled up Jenny Lam’s website and we spent the morning scrolling through the exhibit, reading about the artists and choosing your favorite pieces.”

South Side Weekly: “The digital forum offers the opportunity for at-home viewers to take part in this important work—to help these stories grow, evolve, and be seen.”

This new year, Artists on the Lam presents HYGGE, a new online art exhibition. Stay in your PJs, grab your drink of choice, and experience art, all without braving the elements.

All artists working in all mediums and forms—painting, illustration, photography, sculpture, multimedia, installation, textiles, you name it—from anywhere in the world are welcome to apply.

Claude Monet, The Magpie.

Application:

Humanities

Contributed to the #artvsartist challenge with closeups of some of my quick sketches! View my drawings (and more) in full here and here. Lensa who? AI what? All you need is a pencil and paper, baby.

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve been selected to exhibit my drawing Tree Hugger, which I made when I was in high school, in Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery’s 12th Annual Nature Art Exhibition! View the show here. Thank you, LST!

Artist opportunity: Chicago DCASE’s 2023 Individual Artists Program Grant application is now open! The deadline is January 10, 2023, 5pm. I’m a past recipient. Both times I applied, I was selected to receive the grant!: The first was for my interactive public art and mapping project, Dreams of a City*; the second was when I conceived of SLAYSIAN**. More details for IAP here.

*(Recent interviews about that passion project / labor of love!: WGN Morning News (video, recorded live), WBEZ (audio, recorded live), Chicago Reader (article).)

**(Which finally happened in person last year! You can continue to enjoy the original virtual version from 2020 here and read about SLAYSIAN in press coverage (including feature articles, reviews, and interviews with the artists and myself) from 2020 here.)

Can you believe this was a decade ago?: Throwback to December 2012 when I went to Miami for the first time and then wrote my now-classic blog post “Notes from [an] underground [art scene advocate / Miami Art Week virgin].” The middle paragraph of image 3 might be one of the funniest things I’ve written. Also, check out the tags I wrote (bottom of image 4). And the 5th image is the kind of comment I love receiving, and what makes it all worth it.

And speaking of older blog posts: Congratulations on winning the World Cup, Argentina! The last place my parents and I traveled to before the pandemic (remember when I lived up to the “globetrotting polyglot” descriptor in my bio?), and I miss it. I waxed wistful about it in the post “Alegría”; read about people, love, life, and getting stranded.

Happy and healthy holidays, everyone! Consider making a year-end gift to Artists on the Lam here. As always, I am so grateful for all of you.

Become a Patron

Support Artists on the Lam here

Since its founding in 2011, Artists on the Lam has been dedicated to championing local artists while channeling global perspectives (our motto!), making art accessible, breaking barriers, building community, inspiring people to see the world anew, and demonstrating that art is for everyone—all to acclaim.

Hailed by the press and the public as an “art wave-maker,” “a global arts mover and shaker,” “a pioneer of art that is interactive, collaborative, and as much fun for viewers as it is for artists,” and as an enterprise that “keeps Chicago’s arts and cultural scene fresh, engaging, and thriving” and “embodies everything that we, in the art world, need,” Artists on the Lam has spent the past 11.5 years cultivating a vibrant international community across 177 countries and counting, connecting artists and art lovers from all walks of life.

We’ve launched the careers of emerging artists and provided a prominent platform for emerging, mid-career, and established artists alike, whether it’s through the blog that started it all, which was voted “Best Local Visual Arts Blog” in the Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago issue by readers like you, or through groundbreaking—and rule-breaking—interactive art shows, such as the landmark exhibition I CAN DO THAT, which was voted the audience choice for “Best Art Exhibit” in the 20th anniversary edition of NewCity’s Best of Chicago issue by visitors like you.

From massive audience participatory shows like LEXICON, which was lauded by visitors as “wonderful training and exercise in the world of art appreciation,” to storied celebrations like SLAYSIAN, which South Side Weekly praised for its “role in educating and engaging with the broader Chicago community” and for “showcasing a subset of artists that have always been part of the city’s art scene, but rarely acknowledged as a collective,” at Artists on the Lam we’ve always prided ourselves in being at the forefront of art.

We’ve also always prided ourselves in being entirely independent and free.

If you’ve ever had fun at one of our events, connected with one of our artworks, enjoyed reading—or been oddly moved by—a post on the blog, found respite perusing a pandemic-era virtual exhibition, or would simply like to express your appreciation for the things we do, consider making a donation here! Your name will be included on a published list of patrons.

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• And so much more.

In the past, Artists on the Lam has been awarded grants from the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and has received COVID-19 pandemic relief funds from The Soze Foundation’s Artist + Activist Relief Fund Grant, Chicago Artists Relief Fund, Secret Walls’ Support Your Local Artist Fund, and Propeller IMPACT Fund Grant.

Thank you endlessly for your generosity and for supporting artists and the arts!

FAQ

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Laureate

Last summer, a college student completed her undergraduate thesis about SLAYSIAN! I have her draft and it’s 26 pages all about the artists in the exhibition I curated! I’ve always talked about wanting to inspire others but when it actually happens I’m always surprised. So unbelievably honored.

 
(Here’s the online art show, March 2020-∞; here’s SLAYSIAN 2.0, the in-person exhibit, November 2021-January 2022; and here’s press coverage of the virtual exhibition, from 2020.)

And: The previous post has a massive roundup of updates; check it out if you missed it!