The exhibition of the Macao-China Pavilion at the “57thInternational Art Exhibition - La Biennale Di Venezia”, entitled “A Bonsai of My Dreams - Works by Wong Cheng Pou”, was inaugurated on 11 May in Venice. For the sixth time, Macao’s contemporary artworks are presented at this prestigious international art event, revealing the region’s contemporary visual arts scene to visitors from around the world. This edition of the Macao-China Pavilion exhibition was organized by the Macao Museum of Art, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, showcasing 17 new artworks (sculptures and paintings) by renowned local artist Wong Cheng Pou.
The officiating guests at the opening ceremony included the Head of the Department of Exhibitions and Museums of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Lei Lai Kio; the Director of the Macao Museum of Art, Chan Kai Chon, and the artist, Wong Cheng Pou. After the speeches by Lei Lai Kio and Wong Cheng Pou, the curator, Ng Fong Chao, and the organizer of the exhibition, Sam Hou In, accompanied the guests in a visit to the Pavilion. Other guests included the Counselor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Italy, Zheng Xuan; the Secretary for Home Affairs of the Hong Kong S.A.R. Government, Lau Kong-wah; and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Wong Ying-wai, Wilfred as well as art lovers and artists from Macao, among others.
Lei Lai Kio mentioned in her speech that Wong Cheng Pou has a broad perspective towards life, solid skills in the arts and exercises profound philosophical meditation, which make him one of the most outstanding contemporary artists in Macao. In this exhibition, through the concept of “Bonsai”, Wong Cheng Pou showcases an aesthetic presentation of the traditional ancient Chinese courtyard living culture, reflecting the spiritual pursuit in a small urban space. Chan Kai Chon expressed in his speech that the Macao Museum of Art hopes to open the door for potential Macao artists to access the international art scene by participating in prestigious international art events. This will not only enhance the artists’ creations and broadens their horizons, but will also attract the attention of national and international curators, art critics, collectors, galleries and media to local artists, thus providing space and more favourable conditions for the long-term development of the visual arts.
The exhibits mainly include figures inspired by the deities described in the ancient Chinese classic Shan Hai Jing(The Classic of Mountains and Seas). Wong Cheng Pou described that people who live in an over-crowded city may find themselves squeezing into the gaps, and this environment evokes the deities of Shan Hai Jing to the artist. For Wong Cheng Pou, his works assimilate the influence of Catholicism in Macao over several centuries and the clergy’s attires, to which a sense of mystery is always attached. The curator, Ng Fong Chao, expressed that “A Bonsai of My Dreams” seems to provoke a series of violent collisions with reality, evoking a new vision of the world and making people think about their existence in the real world, also exploring and examining their true sense in the process of social development, based in what can be considered as a future world imagined by Wong Cheng Pou.
126 influential artists from 51 countries have been invited to this edition of the “International Art Exhibition - La Biennale Di Venezia”. The Biennale features a total of 85 national pavilions, as well as 23 collateral events organized by cities and artistic organizations. The Macao exhibition is part of the collateral events. This year’s Macao-China Pavilion exhibition will be open from 13 May to 12 November, and is open from 10am to 6pm (closed on Mondays). The exhibition is located at Arsenale, Campo della Tana. Castello 2126/A, Venice, Italy. For more information, please visit www.MAM.gov.mo, or contact MAM through tel. no. 8791 9814, during office hours.
