#HTE
Sculptor Dan Lam Bridges Digital and Analog Worlds with Squarespace
“Delicious Monster”
Artist Dan Lam (previously) uses intriguing blends of organic shapes with synthetic colors, textures, and materials to form scintillating sculptures. While each artwork appears to be an almost naturally-occurring form, Lam combines complementary color palettes to create visual tension and carefully applies forms each spike and indentation by hand. The artist often documents her organically-shaped sculptures in outdoor settings. Sunlight captures the glint of shimmering finishes, foliage complements the spiky textures, and Lam herself appears half-hidden while holding her work.
With her keen eye for presentation, Lam relies on the website builder Squarespace to showcase her eye-catching artwork. “I used to host with another service and while they were easy to use, I didn’t have a lot of flexibility as far as customization and overall look. Squarespace has allowed me to have a really nice portfolio while making it very easy to create a temporary web shop or as-needed email blast.”
Lam stays focused on producing her labor-intensive artworks year-round, and admits that her computer-savviness takes a back seat to her artistic prowess. But Squarespace gives her the tools she needs to manage her career as an artist: “The intuitive navigation of Squarespace is probably the most helpful thing for me, as someone who doesn’t like to spend a lot of time on computers,” Lam explains. “I had a friend start the site for me and I’ve taken over from there—which is kind of amazing because website stuff used to stress me out.”
“Center of Attention”
Lam, who has a substantial following of over 200,000 on Instagram, deftly uses the visual intrigue of her work to spark curiosity and build a bridge between digital and analog worlds. She often shares videos that capture the process of making each piece or showcase the dimensionality of finished works. Lam uses her Squarespace site to integrate her social media presence: a dedicated page in the navigation is filled with colorful behind-the-scenes videos and photos of her studio practice. “I think the mystery of the materials and how they come together piques the viewer’s curiosity, especially digitally,” Lam explains. “Maybe they spend a little extra time on it—whether that be looking, trying to sneak a touch at a gallery show, or Googling the materials.”
Although Lam’s sculptures are sought after for collectors and gallery shows—including a solo show on view this month at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York City—the artist shares that she is excited by the range of opportunities for artists to share their work. “In the past few years, I’ve noticed there have been more and more opportunities for visual artists through all kinds of different outlets, from companies hiring artists to do murals inside workspaces to cities funding public art. Fine art seems to be seeping into the mainstream culture. It’s creating a larger space for artists to exist that wasn’t there when I was growing up.”
Building and maintaining a portfolio site doesn’t have to be a full-time job. With Squarespace, you can find a customizable template in minutes and get started with showcasing your fine art, photography, or design work. And Squarespace’s ecommerce and email marketing integrations make it easy to grow your business or career. Head over to Squarespace for a free one-week trial and when you’re ready to launch, use code COLOSSAL for 10% off your purchase of a website or domain name.
“Come Together”
“Recreational”
“Complexion”
“Getting Soft”
“Undertone”
“Long Term”
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2019/04/sculptor-dan-lam-squarespace/