Jaffa Lam

Jaffa Lam is best known for her mixed-media sculptures and installations, which are often made from recycled materials.

Born in Hong Kong, Lam studied Fine Art at The Chinese University Hong Kong.  She has participated in exhibitions and undertaken residencies around the world.

‘Save a Star in your Spittoon’ is a kitsch ‘found sculpture’, made from two spittoons (receptacles for spit). Spittoons are culturally significant objects in China used by both Chinese emperors and Communist leaders – a symbol of wealth and status. The artist turns them into lamps, transforming their use and function.  The work was inspired by a photograph of a meeting between Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher, in which a spittoon stands at their feet. The two leaders met in Beijing in 1984 to negotiate the ‘handover’ of Hong Kong.