As part of The Macao Foundation’s Macao Artists Promotion Project, the exhibition of “Calligraphy by Ambrose So Shu Fai – Reflections of Macao” will open on Friday 1 June 2018 at 6:30 pm at the exhibition gallery of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau. Over 40 pieces of works by Macao’s renowned calligrapher Ambrose So, written in oracle bone script, seal script, clerical script and running script, as well as from inscriptions on bamboo and wooden slips, will be exhibited. The book Reflections of Macao – Collection of calligraphy by Ambrose So Shu Fai will also be launched at the opening ceremony.
Ambrose So is a renowned businessman and a devoted artist in Chinese calligraphy. Founder and Chairman of the Jiazi Society of Calligraphy since 1985, he has held various solo exhibitions in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Macao, Hong Kong, Taiwan, as well as Lisbon and Aveiro in Portugal. The artistry of his calligraphy has won accolades from Professor Jao Tsung-I and former Vice Chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association Mr. Wei Tianchi.
Member of the 9th to 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Portugal in Hong Kong SAR, Ambrose So is dedicated to promoting exchange and cooperation between China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Portugal, especially in expediting the platform role of Macao between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. With a passion for culture and education, he serves as a member of the board of directors of The University of Hong Kong Foundation for Educational Development and Research, Chancellor of Macau Millennium College, Chairman of the board of directors of Millennium Secondary School, advisor to the Center for Studies of Hong Kong, Macao and Pearl River Delta, Sun Yat-sen University, Committee member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and Chairman of the Association of Chinese Culture and Art of Macau. He was awarded the Honorary University Fellowship by The University of Hong Kong, the Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa by University of Macau, the Medal of Merit – Culture by the Macao SAR Government, and was conferred as Comendador da Ordem do Mérito by the President of Portugal.
Once an important place for China’s foreign trade and cultural exchange on the Maritime Silk Road, Macao is a city enriched with both the cultures of East and West. The influences of the Chinese and Portuguese cultures over the past four centuries have contributed to the unique Sino-Luso culture of Macao. Works shown at the exhibition, “Calligraphy by Ambrose So Shu Fai – Reflections of Macao”, include poems on Macao composed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, reflecting the transformation of the city, fostering deeper understanding of Macao’s unique bridging role in the history of cultural exchange between East and West, and its provision of a platform between China and Europe in the One Belt One Road Initiative. Ambrose So also rewrote some of his previously exhibited works for the exhibition, to reflect his calligraphy journey over four decades of work in Macao.
The exhibition will be held from 2 June to 8 June, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, at the exhibition gallery of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (Av. de Almeida Ribeiro No. 163, Macao). Free Admission, all are welcome. For enquiries, please contact The Macao Foundation’s UNESCO Centre at Tel: 28727066 or Email: unesco_info@fm.org.mo .
