Inner Worlds | Jaffa Lam

Art Basel’s Inner Worlds film series visits creatives in the places that most inspire them
What can artists do for society?’ Hong Kong-based artist Jaffa Lam asks herself this question every time she’s about to start an artwork. Collaborating with local workers is central to her practice. This approach, combined with her use of found and recycled materials, results in sculptures and installations that address themes of labor, identity, and collectivity.
Lam has worked with the Hong Kong Women Workers’ Association, a group of former female garment factory workers, since 2009. In the film, we see them working with Lam to sew the recycled umbrella fabric that forms part of her latest work. ‘I try to talk to the workers and to understand their situation. Why they are here and how they work,’ she says. Thus, the artist’s practice offers a new life to both the workers and the material while creating something intangible: community.
Jaffa Lam is represented by Axel Vervoordt Gallery (Hong Kong, Antwerp) and Zilberman Gallery (Istanbul, Berlin). Trolley Party (2023), the work in production in the film, will be on view as part of Art Basel Hong Kong’s Encounters sector.
Director: Benny Woo
Producer: Chan Chin Ho
Director of Photography: Calvin Yam
Camera Assistant: Chi
Gaffer: Wai Tze Kin
Editor: Benny Woo
Nowness
Creative Director: Bunny Kinney
Managing Director: Gavin Humphries
Video Commissioner: Katie Metcalfe
Producer: Noor Miah
Video Editor: Harry Bowley
Art Basel
Executive Editor: Coline Milliard
Senior Editor: Alicia Reuter
Video Commissioner: Jeanne-Salomé Rochat
Creative Producer: Akiel Gallina