Celebration of Lap-See Lam, the 2025 recipient of The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award

"We are delighted to celebrate The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award recipient here in Stockholm," said Paulina Rider Wilhelmsen, Jury Member and Founder of the Award. 

Lap-See Lam (b. 1990) lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden. Upon receiving the news about the Award earlier this year, she said:

“My work often unfolds through large-scale, collaborative processes – bringing together diverse voices, materials and histories to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Receiving The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award is not only an affirmation of this way of working, but also a reminder of the vital role art plays in shaping how we see, remember and imagine the world. More than anything, this award makes it possible to continue the work – building, questioning and creating with others, giving form to the unseen and the possible. It is a great honour.” 

The work of Lam interprets traditional storytelling forms such as Cantonese opera and shadow plays to grapple with the translation – and mistranslation – of cultural heritage. Lam’s practice, ranging from film to virtual reality, sculpture, and installation, addresses a process she describes as ‘generational loss’.

The celebration in Stockholm took place May 14 at Moderna Museet, on the occasion of the recent opening of the exhibition of Lap-See Lam with Kholod Hawash: Begin Again, Begin Again. During the private reception, co-hosted by the Norwegian Embassy and Ambassador Aud Kolberg, Paulina Rider Wilhelmsen handed the Diploma to Lam.

“The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award is intended to mark a defining milestone in an artistic career, and the jury unanimously agrees that Lam’s extraordinary work is at a pivotal stage,” said Caroline Ugelstad, Jury Leader and Director of Exhibitions and Collection at Henie Onstad, on behalf of the jury. 

Solo exhibition at Henie Onstad next year
On 11 June 2026, the most extensive presentation of Lap-See Lam’s work to date will open at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in Oslo, Norway. The exhibition at Henie Onstad including a publication and an acquisition of the artist’s work in Henie Onstad’s permanent collection form part of the Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award Programme, together with an artistic honorarium of 100,000 USD. This makes the Award one of the most significant art awards in the world. 

The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award honours the contribution of an outstanding international artist with a significant body of work whose practice resonates with our time and ignites meaningful conversations. The Award is intended to mark a pivotal milestone in an artist's career and is selected by an international jury of experts. Lam is the fourth award recipient, following Alia Farid in 2023, Guadalupe Maravilla in 2021 and Otobong Nkanga in 2019.

Regarding the selection, the jury stated: 
“We are proud to announce Lap-See Lam as the recipient of the fourth Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award. Her work investigates narratives and mythologies surrounding the Cantonese diaspora in Europe, particularly in Sweden. Through digital media, sculpture, and immersive installations, she explores themes of cultural heritage, representation, and identity. Her work is deeply rooted in memory and history, offering a powerful and experimental approach that encourages reflection on significant yet underexplored social histories in Scandinavia. 

The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award is intended to mark a defining milestone in an artistic career, and the jury unanimously agrees that Lam’s extraordinary work is at a pivotal stage. The jury hopes the award will contribute to the further development of Lap-See Lam’s practice and holds high expectations for her future work.” 

About The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award Programme
The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award Programme is a partnership between the Lise and Arne Wilhelmsen family and the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter. It was established to continue and honour Lise Wilhelmsen's (1936–2019) commitment to the visual arts. The Award envisions a global community that values artistic expression as an essential force for positive change. The family's commitment to the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter is confirmed for the subsequent eight editions, spanning 16 years, with the intention of a further extension.  

Lap-See Lam was selected as the recipient of The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award by an international jury comprising: María Inés Rodríguez, Director of Walter Leblanc Foundation, Brussels, and Founder of Tropical Papers; Michelle Kuo, Chief Curator at Large and Publisher at MoMA, New York; Elvira Dyangani Ose, Director of MACBA, Barcelona; Paulina Rider Wilhelmsen, Founder of LWAAP and Wilstar Social Impact, Oslo; Anne Hilde Neset, Director of Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Oslo; and Caroline Ugelstad, Director of Collection and Exhibition and Chief Curator at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Oslo, and Jury Leader.   

About the artist
Lap-See Lam (b. 1990) lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden. She holds a Master’s degree in Fine Art from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm (2020). Working across video installation, sculpture, and performance, Lam draws on the aesthetics and cultural codes of the Cantonese diaspora — from shadow play and Cantonese opera to the décor of Western Chinese restaurants — blending contemporary technologies with traditional forms and mythologies. 

Recent and ongoing solo exhibitions include the Hammer Museum (Los Angeles), The Power Plant (Toronto), Studio Voltaire (London), AKG Art Museum (Buffalo), Swiss Institute (New York), Portikus (Frankfurt), Bonniers Konsthall (Stockholm), Trondheim Kunstmuseum, Moderna Museet Malmö, PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art (Montréal, 2025) and Moderna Museet Stockholm (2025). She represented Sweden at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024 with The Altersea Opera, a site-specific installation for the Nordic Pavilion commissioned by Moderna Museet, created in collaboration with composer Tze Yeung Ho and textile artist Kholod Hawash. 

Upcoming solo exhibitions include Vienna Secession (2026) and Henie Onstad Kunstsenter (2026).