Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government and co-organised by the Printmaking Research Centre of Macao, the 1st Macao Printmaking Triennial is a grand international exchange event in the area of printmaking, featuring nearly 100 works by renowned printmakers from 11 counties and regions. These important hubs of printmaking creativity in Asia include Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and India. The exhibition opened on 17th November 2012 in the Old Court Building, located at Av. da Praia Grande, and runs until 17th February 2013.
Present at the opening ceremony were the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Dr. Ung Vai Meng, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macao S.A.R., Zhang Xiaoguang, Deputy Director-General of the Department of General Affairs of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR, Shen Weizhong, Member of the Cultural Consultative Council of Macao, Mr. Carlos Marreiros, Director of the School of Arts at the Macao Polytechnic Institute, Ms. Hsu Hsui-Chu, Acting Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Mr. Kent Ieong Chi Kin and Deputy Chief Editor of the Macao Daily News, Ms. Lio Chi Heng (representing the Director of the Macao Daily News).
Macao was the first transit stop of Western missionaries coming from afar to China in the 15th Century. They not only introduced the first batch of exquisite Western copper-plate prints for missionary purposes but also the typographic press and lithography in succession. Macao was once a strategic port of the Maritime Silk Road, which can be attributable to the vigorous trade prompted by the flourishing printing business.
A professional printmaking course has been offered in the School of the Arts of Macao Polytechnic Institute (formerly the Visual Arts Academy) since its establishment in the 1980s, which held two international printmaking exhibitions in Macao in 1992 and 2000. This year, the 1st Macau Printmaking Triennial, launched by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and curated by veteran local printmaker Wong Cheng Pou, seeks to give an overview of the newest aspects of contemporary printmaking in Asia. Printmaking organisations and educators from different countries have been invited to select and screen artists to represent their respective regions in the event.
The wide variety of printmaking works chosen for this exhibition range from simplistic, explicit traditional woodblock prints to mainstream silk screen prints, copper-plate etchings, and innovative prints produced by sophisticated computers. Works on display also include special prints employing unique production methods. The Triennial is definitely a feast for the eyes - and not to be missed by printmaking and art aficionados!
This year’s event features four awards, including one Special Award, with a cash prize of 100,000 Patacas, and three Review Panel Special Awards, with cash prizes of 20,000 Patacas each. The panel of five judges included Professor Chen Yi, of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, Mr. Chu The-I, Director of the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts, Japanese artist Takeshi Kanazawa, Chief Curator for Art and Special Projects of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Mr. Tang Hoi Chiu, Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department, and Archt. Carlos Marreiros, member of the Cultural Consultative Council of Macao.
The Special Award of the 1st Macao Printmaking Triennial goes to the Korean artist Kwak Nam Sin, whose work is titled “The Day when I was Blue”. The three Review Panel Special Awards are presented to Chinese artist Wang Li Xing, and to Thai artists Tinnakorn Kasornsuwan and Vimonmarn Khanthachavana, for their works titled “Fresh Water Lake IV”, “Home II” and “Pincushion in Hand 2005”, respectively. At the Grand Opening, more than 60 printmakers from various places were present, symbolising an important milestone in the development of Macao’s arts and their emergence in the global art arena.
