Matthaus Lam

Artworks

Elephant with bird, 2021. Mixed materials sculpture installation. Courtesy of the artist.

Matthaus Lam was invited to create this large-scale sculpture as a statement piece to welcome visitors to the Palo Alto Art Center and to spark collective joy and imagination. Elephant with bird also celebrates his own personal growth as an artist and creator. He chose to build a young elephant to challenge his skill and understanding of materials, and to make the most of this opportunity to work at a much larger scale.

The delicate bird made of aluminum foil gracing the elephant’s back provides a beautiful contrast to the solidity of the elephant. The dramatic difference in size and strength between these creatures reminds us of how important mutually beneficial relationships are.

About the Artist

“Elephants have been my favorite animal for as long as I can remember. When I was between 8-9 years old, I made a nice giraffe with toilet paper rolls, but was unable to keep it due to moving. Since then, I have been collecting rolls to build another animal, which is this elephant.”―Matthaus Lam

Matthaus Lam is an autistic young adult and a passionate and prolific sculptor. He has been making ceramic sculptures at the Palo Alto Art Center since he was a young boy and is well-known for creating joyful animals in clay, paper, and aluminum foil. He has been an active artist at the AbilityPath Art Program, the Palo Alto Art Center, Orchard Valley Ceramics Art Guild, and Olive Hyde Art Gallery for some time, and was a visiting artist at the Children’s Discovery Museum in San José in 2017 and 2018, where he taught the secrets of his foil art.