New photography association hopes to bridge Chinese-Portuguese communities

Photography by David Antunes

A new photography association that was inaugurated yesterday with 18 ethnic Portuguese founding members aims to include photographers of different ages, ethnicities and nationalities.
Several founding members of the association who were present at the inauguration ceremony yesterday held at the Portuguese Bookshop voiced agreement with this stated aim. They found interactions between Portuguese and Chinese photographers in Macau to be scarce.
Nuno Veloso, founding member of the association, admitted that he did not know any of the existing Chinese-speaking photography associations in Macau until he was preparing for the inauguration of the association. “Eventually I became aware that there were a huge number of them,” Veloso told the Times.
He added that Macau has a rich culture comprising different ethnicities. “We want the East; we want the West,” he explained.
Another present founding member, André Ritchie, said that the association is not solely about level of skill, but also enthusiasm for photography. He said that the association is open to co-organizing activities with other associations.
António Mil-Homens, founding member of the association, said when questioned what Macau photography is missing: “The connection that the association is aiming to make.”
He said that he has Chinese photographer friends who greeted one another each time they met, but he admitted that the relationships seemed superficial. He hopes the association will be able to change this situation and mix photographers from all quarters.
Beside the inauguration ceremony was a photo exhibition showing works of the founding members. The exhibition will be on display until June 12.
Halftone is a non-profit cultural association, headquartered in the Macau SAR, which aims to promote contemporary photography in all its aspects.
It calls itself an inclusive and comprehensive association open to all those interested in photography as an artistic and/or documentary expression, regardless of their experience or approach.