A Sneak Peek of Celeb-Loved Dallas Artist’s Largest Sculpture Ever at Nasher Public

Dan Lam's "A Subtle Alchemy" is On View This Spring

By Megan Ziots // Apr 28, 2021

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Dan Lam's "A Subtle Alchemy" is now on view at The Nasher Sculpture Center. (Photo by Kevin Todora)

Dallas artist Dan Lam specializes in squishes, drips, and blobs. (Courtesy of Dan Lam)

Dan Lam's pieces are colorful, touchable, and appear as though they are alive. (Courtesy of Dan Lam)

Dan Lam has created some larger works, but not as large as the upcoming "A Subtle Alchemy." (Courtesy of Dan Lam)

Over the years, Dallas-based sculpture artist Dan Lam has caught the attention (and pocketbooks) of celebrities like pop star Miley Cyrus and supermodel Lily Aldridge with her touchable, colorful, and awe-inspiring pieces. Her “Drips,” “Blobs,” and “Squishes” are created out of polyurethane foam, acrylic paint, and epoxy resin and take on a life of their own.

Beginning this Thursday, April 29, Dan Lam’s largest sculpture ever will be on display at Nasher Sculpture Center’s Public exhibition until May 23.

At eight feet tall, “A Subtle Alchemy” is the largest “Squish” piece that Lam has ever made. A mound standing atop four “legs,” viewers can walk around and underneath the jellyfish-like piece. Covered with chameleon autobody paint, blue and purple colors shimmer and shift as you move around it. Combined with its unique shape, it really looks as if it could be alive. The piece offers the perfect amounts of creepy and intriguing.

Digital artists Geoff Case and Eric Trich also worked with Dan Lam on creating project imagery that’s mapped out onto the massive, three-dimensional form, giving the impression that it’s moving. This enhances the “senses of the piece transforming before your eyes, from solid to liquid,” Lam explains in a release.

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Since earning her BFA at The University of North Texas and MFA from Arizona State University, Dan Lam’s work has been displayed in exhibitions in New York City, London, and Paris. A couple of years ago, Lam presented a large-scale, interactive outdoor works at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.

Later, in 2019, I viewed one of Dan Lam’s pieces for the first time at Refinery 29’s 29 Rooms installation at Gilley’s in Dallas. It’s hard not to stare and get lost in the gooeyness. Her creations are pretty wild. Lam is dropping some Minis and phone cases on Sunday, May 2, so be on the lookout to get your very own blob, squish, or drip.