Exhibition “East-West Contemplations: A Retrospective of Mio Pang Fei” opens, exploring Macao’s contemporary art trailblazer’s artistic evolution over five decades

MACAU, July 3 - The exhibition “East-West Contemplations: A Retrospective of Mio Pang Fei”, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and co-organised by the Círculo dos Amigos da Cultura de Macau, was inaugurated today (3 July), at the Macao Museum of Art. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Choi Kin Long; the President of the Círculo dos Amigos da Cultura de Macau, Carlos Marreiros; the Member of the Cultural Development Consultative Committee, Chan Hou Seng; the Director of the Federation of Associations of Cultural Sectors of Macau, Li Zisong; the President of the Macau Artist Society, Lok Hei; the Honorary Director of the Liu Haisu Art Museum, Liu Chan; and the Co-curator Cristina, Mio U Kit; and was attended by the Member of the Board of Trustees of the Macao Foundation, Angela Leong On Kei; the President of the Institute of European Studies of Macau, José Luís de Sales Marques; the Professor of the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Zhuang Xiaowei and the Former Vice President of the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Li Chao.

To celebrate the 90^th anniversary of the birth of Mio Pang Fei, the exhibition brings together 90 works spanning painting, mixed media, installation and manuscripts from the collection of his family, friends and the Macao Museum of Art, exploring Macao’s contemporary art trailblazer’s artistic evolution over five decades. The exhibition is divided into six evocative sections – “Shanghai – Experiment”, “Macao – Practice”, “The Shui Hu Series”, “On Human Condition”, “Post-Calligraphy”, and “The Legacy of Neo-Orientalism”. The “Neo-Orientalism” section focuses on Mio Pang Fei’s artistic evolution from theory to maturity. Through the reconstruction of studio scene and the exhibition of precious documents, it specifically showcases the artist’s artistic practice of “taking the spirit of Eastern culture as the essence with the use of Western modern languages”.

Mio Pang Fei is an advocate of “Neo-Orientalism”. Based in Macao, where Chinese and Western cultures blend, he has developed an aesthetic theory with local characteristics and an international perspective. He represented Macao at the 56^th Venice Biennale and was awarded the “Medal of Cultural Merit” twice, making great contributions to the development of modern art in Macao.

To further guide audiences to a deeper understanding of Mio Pang Fei's artistic concepts, a range of outreach activities will be launched during the exhibition period, including thematic lectures, concerts and art workshops, enriching the audience’s visiting experience. Among these, limited seats are still available for the thematic lecture “Mio Pang Fei and Neo-Orientalism”, to be held on 4 July. Interested parties may attend on-site or watch the live broadcast online. The concert “Music in the Macao Museum of Art” on 12 July and the upcoming “Contemplations in Dance & Music | Lyre x Body Flow Workshop” will echo with the artistic atmosphere of the exhibition through cross-disciplinary performances, offering audiences an audiovisual, multicultural and artistic experience.

The exhibition “East-West Contemplations: A Retrospective of Mio Pang Fei” is held from 4 July to 11 October on the first and second floors of the Macao Museum of Art. The exhibition is open daily from 10am to 7pm (no admission after 6:30pm), including on public holidays but is closed on Mondays. Admission is free.

For more information about the exhibition and activities, please visit the website of the Macao Museum of Art at www.MAM.gov.mo and its respective page “Macao Museum of Art” on Facebook.