Preface

Workshop “Wonderful Arts, Wonderful Life” (Lam Sao Wa)

As part of the 13th Macao Arts Festival held in March 2002, the Cultural Institute of the Macao SAR Government organized an exhibition of “Macao’s Cultural Heritage”, featuring Macao’s built heritage as its theme. On show were 235 works of art by 164 local Macao artists. A workshop was run at the same time as an arts education activity targeted at the students of Macao’s high schools, primary schools and kindergartens and their parents. At the workshop, these amateur artists created over 5000 two- and three-dimensional artworks. A seminar on the visual arts was held, and proved very popular with both locals and tourists alike. While promoting Macao’s World Heritage application project and heritage preservation awareness, the exhibition and related events also helped to advance the contemporary arts in Macao. After the 13th Macao Arts Festival in 2002, the Cultural Institute immediately began preparations for the following year’s exhibition in 2003. To complement the World Heritage application projects and to promote awareness concerning heritage preservation, the Cultural Institute opted to focus on eight sites in China bidding for inclusion on the World Heritage list: the Historic Monuments of Macao; Kaiping Diaolou in Guangdong; Fujian Tulou; the Ming Tombs in Beijing; Xiaoling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty in Nanjing; Yin Ruins, Henan; Honghe Terraced Fields in Yunnan; and the Three Parallel Rivers in Yunnan. Local Macao artists were invited to visit the eight sites, and to give their own artistic interpretations in any medium they chose. This multimedia art exhibit has been entitled “Chinese Treasures”.

Visiting Anyang (Lam Sao Wa)

In June 2002, the Macao Cultural Institute held a reception to introduce local artists to the details and regulations of the “Chinese Treasures” exhibition. Fortysix leaders and representatives from twenty-six local cultural and arts organizations attended the reception in an atmosphere filled with enthusiasm. The scheme took off along three separate lines: tours organized by the Cultural Institute; tours organized by community groups and individuals; and individual site visits and the various activities enjoyed immense support from Macao’s visual arts organizations and artists. From July to November 2002, the Cultural Institute organized a total of five tours with seventy-two participants, and the various community groups and individuals organized a total of nine groups with a total of sixty participants to visit the seven World Heritage candidate sites located outside Macao.

The activity was supported by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, which assisted in setting up links with the relevant administrations in the respective regions. The Macao art groups were received warmly by the respective authorities, organizations and people and a major effort was made to assist them.

Visiting Nanjing (Lam Sao Wa)

Professional guides were sent to accompany the groups facilitating the smooth running of the tour. The scheme covered a huge geographical area stretching from Macao at sea level to the snow covered plateaus at 4800-metre altitude; from the banks of Donghai to the foot of the Great Wall; and from the central region of the Yellow River Valley to the banks of Changjiang which meant that Macao artists also left their mark all over China. From typhoons along the banks of Nanhai to collapsing buildings in rural Fujian following a rainstorm, and altitude sickness on the Yungui Plateau, Macao’s artists had to overcome a variety of challenges, which were more than compensated for by experiencing the marvels of Chinese culture.

By the end of the scheme, a total of 1,052 artworks in a variety of media were submitted by 183 artists, an overwhelmingly enthusiastic reaction which reflects the interest that Macao’s artists have in China and Chinese culture.

Visiting Yuanyang (Sunny Wong)

The Cultural Institute established a selection panel of five contemporary artists working in various media in China and abroad to decide which works would appear in the exhibition. namely Xu Jiang, President of the Chinese Academy of Fine Arts; renowned Japanese designer, Shigeo Fukuda; contemporary artist, Wenda Gu, from New York; Zhou Kai, an artist working with Chinese ink, from Shenzhen; and Wu Jiabao, Founder and President of the Taiwan Society for Photographic Education. The panel members reacted very positively to the quality of work done by Macao’s artists, particularly the photography and posters.

The judges also took part in a seminar organized by the Cultural Institute in which they gave in-depth talks and presented reports to Macao artists on various aspects of contemporary arts, shedding new light on the local art scene. Appearing in this exhibition are 269 selected works of art, by 96 participants, which can be broken down into the following: 46 works on the Historic Monuments of Macao; 42 works on the Kaiping Diaolou; 35 relating to the Fujian Tulou; 36 works relating to the Ming Tombs in Beijing; 17 works concerning the Xiaoling

Tomb of the Ming Dynasty in Nanjing; 23 works for the Yin Ruins; 35 pieces on the Honghe Terraced Fields; and 35 pieces on the Three Parallel Rivers. Analysed by media type, there are 37 ink paintings, 9 calligraphy works; 15 drawings; 3 engravings; 15 posters; 184 photographs; and 6 videos. After their initial appearance at the 14th Macao Arts Festival, these outstanding works of art will appear in various other exhibits, taking the opportunity to promote artistic and cultural exchange with other regions, raise public awareness for heritage preservation, and promote the appreciation of “Chinese Treasures”, the collective heritage of humankind.

Sketching in Kaiping (Lok Wai Keong)

Nesta exposição são apresentadas 269 obras seleccionadas, da autoria de 96 participantes, que podem ser classificadas da seguinte forma: 46 trabalhos sobre os monumentos históricos de Macau; 42 trabalhos sobre Diaolou; 35 relativos a Tulou; 36 respeitantes aos túmulos Ming, em Pequim; 17 sobre o Túmulo Xiaoling, da dinastia Ming; 23 sobre as Ruínas Yin; 35 obras sobre os Socalcos de Honghe; e 35 obras sobre os Três Rios Paralelos. De acordo com o suporte artístico, apresentam-se 37 pinturas, 9 trabalhos de caligrafia, 15 desenhos, 3 gravuras, 15 pósteres, 184 fotografias e 6 vídeos.

Após a sua primeira exibição, no Décimo Quarto Festival de Artes de Macau, estas obras de arte irão ser apresentadas em várias outras exposições, tendo em vista promover o intercâmbio artístico e cultural com outras regiões, enraizar a consciência pública para a preservação do património e promover a apreciação dos “Tesouros Chineses”, património colectivo da Humanidade.

Visiting Yongding (Lok Wai Keong)		Selection Panel : Xu Jiang, Wenda Gu, Zhou Kai, Shigeo Fukuda, Wu Jiabao (left) (Sio In Leong)
Taking pictures in Yuanyang (Sio In Leong)		“Contemplation and Discovery” Seminar on Contemporary Visual Arts (Yip Chun)
Visiting Beijing (Lam Sao Wa)		Visiting Kaiping (Lok Wai Keong)
Visiting Mingyong Glacier,Yunnan (Sio In Leong)		Workshop “Wonderful Arts, Wonderful Life” (Lam Sao Wa)