About

The Grief Gallery is a creative platform for Curating Grief® — an approach that invites people to work with objects, stories, and memory to make meaning after loss.

From its origin as a single exhibition in 2015 by Founder Charlene Lam, The Grief Gallery® has evolved into a body of work spanning installations, gatherings, and conversations that center grief as both a deeply personal experience and a collective, cultural one. Exhibitions and activations take place both online and in-person, at international festivals, conferences and events.

The Grief Gallery and Curating Grief are founded by grief coach, speaker and author Charlene Lam, drawing on over a decade of experience at the intersection of grief, creativity, and public engagement.

The Grief Gallery’s Timeline, Selections from Curator Charlene Lam

January 2013

My beloved mother Marilyn dies suddenly from a stroke. As an only child, I find myself lost and overwhelmed: by grief and all her belongings.

2014

Faced with a big mortgage and dwindling savings, I need to start making choices about my mother’s house and belongings. Out of desperation and inspiration, I turn to my creative instincts as an independent curator — and to the love of art that my mom instilled in me from an early age.

I asked myself: “If I were to curate an exhibition about my mother, which 100 objects would I choose to display?”

Oct 2015 – London, UK

The first exhibition takes place in Clerkenwell, Central London, featuring a selection of my mother’s belongings. The title is “Proof of Life,” marking my transition from focusing on my mother’s death to focusing on my mother’s life.

See: Proof of Life grief exhibition

Ongoing – Creative Commissions

Over the years, The Grief Gallery has commissioned illustrations, ceramics and other artwork from independent designers, makers and artists.

See: Remembering Marilyn illustration series

Jan 2022 – Toronto, Canada

Finally tackled the storage unit, and presented The Grief Gallery at DesignTO, Toronto’s annual design festival, as part of a residency.

See: The Grief Gallery in Toronto

Sept 2022 – London, UK

A pop-up installation in a community garden in East London, during the London Design Festival.

See: Curating Grief Pop-Up in East London

Oct 2023 – Lisbon, Portugal

The Grief Gallery at Lisbon’s biggest public hospital, in partnership with their palliative care team.

See: The Grief Gallery at Lisbon Hospital

Why a grief gallery? Answer #1

When I was faced with the difficult task of clearing out my mom’s 3,000 square foot house after she died, my curatorial instincts kicked in. I asked myself:

“If I were to curate an exhibition about my mother, which 100 objects would I choose?”

That question would get me through that arduous process and eventually lead to the pop-up exhibition Proof of Life in Clerkenwell, London. This online grief gallery is a continuation of that practice of putting grief and its ephemera on display, as an invitation for people to think about and talk about their own experiences with grief and loss.

Why a grief gallery? Answer #2

The Power of the Plinth. As an independent curator, art lover and gallery goer, I’ve always been fascinated by what a difference a plinth makes. Putting an object on a plinth elevates it — literally and figuratively. People see the object differently. It’s been deemed important — by someone. Well, the people we lost and their associated objects and stories are important — to us. They deserve at least a moment on the proverbial plinth.

Why a grief gallery? Answer #3

Art has the power to connect personal experience with universal experiences. Everyone will experience death and loss at some point in their lives. It is personal. It is universal. Let’s embrace art and design and their ability to connect people (with themselves and others).

Want the story behind The Grief Gallery? Watch a 4min excerpt from my signature talk Curating Grief, or watch the full talk (14min).

How else do you work with grief?

That question — “If I was to curate an exhibition about my mother, which 100 objects would I choose?” — was the key to completing the onerous task of emptying her house.

It also unlocked the Curating Grief framework that guided me through my own grief journey and that I use in my grief coaching practice to help me guide others on theirs.

And thanks for visiting!

– Charlene Lam, Curator and Certified Grief Coach

Get in touch: hello [at] charlenelam.com