Lyann Tam

Artist Statement / Bio

Through my practice, I want to feel more connected to the moments where my life is intertwined with someone else’s, not less. Relationships with people and with the natural world serve as anchors, as I want my work to reflect the multidimensional, complex, and almost impossible connections I have encountered, the beautiful chaos of two lives intertwining.

I am drawn to artists like Andy Goldsworthy, whose art does not need to be for anyone else; it is a meditative exploration of his relationship with the Earth. I hope to emulate the way his art asks us to upheave ourselves from our self-centeredness and fall into the spellbinding forces of nature.

But I am also constantly reminded that I am working within systems that make such connections almost impossible. Capitalist and colonial frameworks teach us to see ourselves, each other, and our environments as commodities. In the pursuit of “value,” our humanity, play, and sense of place are systematically erased. This raises the question at the heart of my work: what life is allowed to exist fully?

As someone who is biracial, I often don’t know where there is space for my identity. I often feel fetishized and left without a place to understand the histories that shape these feelings. These tensions of belonging and unbelonging shape how I approach materials, form, and collaboration.

In response, I turn towards playing, loving, and naming my connections to others and to place as acts of resistance. I see my work becoming increasingly community and materials-based, where play, an act of disruption and spontaneity, guides exploration and expression, and becomes a way to reclaim space outside the boundaries imposed on us.