Lap-See Lam Wins $100,000 Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award
131April 2, 2025
Swedish artistLap-See Lam, whose multidisciplinary practice explores narratives and myths surrounding the Cantonese diaspora in Europe, particularly in Sweden, has been announced as the 2025 recipient of theHenie Onstad Kunstsenter’sLise Wilhelmsen Art Award. As part of the prize, one of the art world’s largest, Lam will receive $100,000 and a solo exhibition at the Oslo institution, to open in June 2026. As well, the museum will acquire the artist’s work for its permanent collection.
Born in 1990, Lam resides in Stockholm. Through digital media, performance, sculpture, and immersive installations she examines themes of cultural heritage, representation, and identity as they relate to underexplored social histories in Scandinavia. She has described her practice as embodying “large-scale, collaborative processes—bringing together diverse voices, materials and histories to create something greater than the sum of its parts.” Among the motifs that have informed her work are shadow play, Cantonese opera, and the décor of Western Chinese restaurants.
“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,” said Lam in a statement. “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 honor.”
“When we first encountered Lam’s work, it stayed with us—stirring conversations, emotions, and curiosity,” said Paulina Rider Wilhelmsen, a jury member and the prize’s founder, in a statement. “That, to us, is what truly powerful art does. Her practice is deeply personal yet widely resonant—there’s a certain magic in how she explores identity, migration, family, and memory. We were especially moved by how her work is intertwined with her own family’s story, honoring those who came before her and inviting them into the creative process. We’re delighted to share this moment in her artistic journey and can’t wait to see what she creates next.”
Lam holds a master’s degree in fine art from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. She represented Sweden at the Sixtieth Venice Biennale in 2024. In addition to her 2026 prize show at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, forthcoming solo exhibitions of her work include those at Montreal’s PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art and Stockholm’s Moderna Museet, both this year; and at Wiener Secession, Vienna, in 2026.