The “Sculpting the History of Macao: An Exhibition of Sculptures by Zhang Zexun”, organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, was held at the Mandarin’s House Jishan Tang Mansion and was inaugurated on 27 November, Friday, at 4pm. President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ung Vai Meng; the Representative and Assistant of the Chief of the Department of Education and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Shao Bin; the President of the Macao Foundation, Wu Zhiliang; the Rector of the University of Macau, Wei Zhao; the Chairman of the Administrative Committee of the University of Macau Development Foundation, Xie Zhiwei; the Member of the Cultural Heritage Committee, Lei Ip Fei; and the artist of “Zhang’s Clay Figures”, Professor Zhang Zexun attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
‘Zhang’s Clay Figures’ were created by Zhang Mingshan in the mid 19th century (during the Daoguang period in the Qing Dynasty) and were inscribed in the first batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006, and the essence of this art has been continuously inherited and carried forward. In order to present the ‘Zhang’s Clay Figures’ for the public to understand the traditional Chinese art and culture, the Cultural Affairs Bureau specially organized this exhibition at the Mandarin’s House Jishan Tang Mansion, with the belief that these arts works exhibited in harmony under the natural atmosphere and environment of venue. This allows the audience to have a broad imagination and brings new elements in this historical house, thus it can become a platform for dissemination, inheritance and preservation of traditional culture.
The exhibition presents works by Zhang Zexun, the fifth generation descendant of ‘Zhang’s Clay Figures’, has inherited the tremendous artistic talents from her father and master Zhang Yue, the fourth generation descendant of ‘Zhang’s Clay Figures’. Zhang Zexun has been a professor at the University of Macau since 2004 and has organized two solo exhibitions in 2007 and 2009. Her sculpture works and Chinese paintings were selected and awarded for art exhibits of different levels in China. This exhibition includes 19 sculpture works themed on historical figures, including Zheng Guanying, Luís de Camões, Lin Zexu, Matteo Ricci and George Chinnery’s The Fisherwoman. All of them have a remarkable resemblance and rich in artistic value, revealing Macao’s unique folk customs and traditions in a diversified way.
‘Zhang’s Clay Figures’ are themed from legends, theatre, fiction works and daily life scenes. The human images are created by moulding and painting, and their characteristics are portrayed through the use of colour. These works reflect the contemporary living and combine with Chinese cultural and art traditions. In the history of Chinese sculpture, ‘Zhang’s Clay Figures’ are inherited from the art of clay figures. The works are closely related with to human daily lives, showing the beauty of human life and distinct style of realism.
The “Sculpting the History of Macao: An Exhibition of Sculptures by Zhang Zexun” is held at the Mandarin’s House during its opening hours, from 10am to 6pm, with the last admission by 5:30pm, including public holidays; it closes on Wednesdays. Admission is free. For more information, please call through the number 2896 8820 during office hours.