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Kylie Knott

Art helps build bridges between cultures, and no better evidence of this can be found right now than “Alter Ego”, a show that’s exhibited at locations across Macau.
The show features works by 27 international artists, who explore not just the theme of the exhibition’s title, but the relationship between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Made up of six exhibits that explore themes such as the self, culture clash and globalisation, “Alter Ego” features artists from China, Macau, Hong Kong, Portugal, Angola, Cabo Verde, Mozambique, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor. Most have never been shown before in Asia.
The collective message is loud and bold, but picking highlights from an exhibition that features so much talent is tricky.

Let’s start with the new pieces by co-curator Alexandre Farto, better known by his alias Vhils. An influential urban artist from Portugal, Vhils has fingers in many creative pies in Hong Kong and Macau (he’s had a studio in Hong Kong since 2015). France’s Pauline Foessel is the other curator.
Urban artist Vhils in Hong Kong carving out the unconventional amid chaos of the city
Vhils says the exhibition sends a message about exchange. “Exchange of cultures, impressions, expressions, and ideas. But most of all, these differences end up crossing each other out in light of the real concept being explored, which is that of … what it means to be a human.”

He says the art takes visitors to the exhibition on a visually striking journey, as seen in the colourful works of Hong Kong photographer and film director Wing Shya. It’s hard to break eye contact with Wing’s surreal and fluorescent images.
The same visual trap occurs when viewing the large, bold paintings and silk-screen installations of Portuguese artist Francisco Vidal. The influences of American graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and pop artist Andy Warhol, as well as all things 1980s (think graffiti, hip hop and MTV) are evident in his work.

The works of young female Portuguese artist Wasted Rita, who examines the common anxieties of modern society, are also impressive. Exhibits by Chinese artist Zhang Dali, a pioneer of graffiti art in Beijing in the early 1990s, and the first artist since Keith Haring and Jackson Pollock to make it to the cover of Time magazine, are a must-see.

One of the biggest challenges in mounting an exhibition such as this is finding common ground between different cultures.
Wong Kar Wai photographer shares dystopian vision of Hong Kong youth in the age of smartphones
Vhils says: “Trying to find a concept that could bring together and create a dialogue between artists from very different backgrounds and cultures was a challenge. We worked with artists from Portuguese-speaking countries, China, Macau and Hong Kong.”

He says it’s important to explain that the different elements of the exhibition work hand in hand.
“It’s important for guests to see them all in a certain order to fully understand the entire concept,” he says. “Each show has its own strengths. They are also built differently: some are group shows, while others are solos. It’s a different way to discover a theme and the work of the artists.”

Alter Ego, organised by the Cultural Bureau of Macau, runs until September 9.






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‘What it means to be a human’ – the theme of international show in Macau of art from China and Portuguese-speaking countries

Works by 27 artists, most of them new to Asia but including Hong Kong-based Vhils and photographer Wing Shya, are on show at six locations in Macau until September 9

Work by Francisco Vidal, from Portugal, part of Alter Ego exhibition in Macau. Credit Kitmin Lee

The Other by Pedrita Studio part of the Alter Ego exhibition in Macau. Photo Credit Bruno Lopes

The Self by portuguese artist Vhils part of the Alter Ego exhibition in Macau. Photo Credit Kitmin Lee

The Other by Cape Verde artist Fidel Évora part of the Alter Ego exhibition in Macau.

Globalisationby Wasted Rita, from Portugal, part of Alter Ego exhibition in Macau. Credit Kitmin Lee

The Self by Portuguese artists João Ó & Rita Machado part of Alter Ego exhibition in Macau. Credit Kitmin Lee

The Other by HK artist Yiu Chi Leung part of Alter Ego exhibition in Macau. Credit Kitmin Lee

The Self by Mozambique artist Mauro Pinto part of the Alter Ego exhibition in Macau.

The Other by Macau artist Ann Hoi part of Alter Ego exhibition in Macau. Credit Kitmin Lee

The Other by Cape Verde artist Fidel Évora part of the Alter Ego exhibition in Macau. Photo Credit Kitmin Lee

Works by Chinese artist Zhang Dali on show as part of the Alter Ego exhibition in Macau. Photo: Kitmin Lee

A safe haven for Chinese artists, three unorthodox Beijing art spaces provide a place to create and exchange ideas freely

A businessman’s obscure contemporary art venues – DRC No. 12, The Bunker and Tattoo Parlour – in the Chinese capital aim to provide that rare and valuable thing in the country: a truly independent space for artists

Room in DRC No. 12 art space in Beijing where catalogues of previous projects are kept. SCMP : Enid Tsui [FEATURES 2018]

Former Tattoo parlour now used as The Tattoo Parlour art space in Beijing SCMP : Enid Tsui [FEATURES 2018]

Entrance to The Bunker art space in Beijing SCMP : Enid Tsui [FEATURES 2018]

Air-raid shelter at Beijing's former Duan Qirui Government Building now used as an art space called The Bunker SCMP : Enid Tsui [FEATURES 2018]

Balcony (2018) by Liu Zhan, a site-specific installation made with radio sets at the DRC No. 12 art space in Beijing. Photo: Enid Tsui

Culture

Lifestyle

Arts

Works by 27 artists, most of them new to Asia but including Hong Kong-based Vhils and photographer Wing Shya, are on show at six locations in Macau until September 9


Works by 27 artists from China and Portuguese-speaking countries, most of them new to Asia but including Hong Kong-based Vhils and photographer Wing Shya, are on show at six locations in Macau until September 9.


Macau