Art | Exhibition details ‘change of times’

Eric Fok beside one of his latest artworks

The inauguration evening of Eric Fok’s “Change of Times” solo exhibition was held last week at the IFT Café at “Anim’Arte Nam Van Lake.”

The local artist, who is known for his intricate and detailed drawings of historical Macau, showcased around a dozen artworks fashioned onto a variety of mediums including paper canvases, wooden boards and antique, seafaring chests also made of wood.

His works explore the changes the city has faced in terms of its urban development, particularly in the Nam Van area, which was once one of Macau’s most important harbors, dotted with traditional sailing boats.

One landscape piece illustrates the bygone 17th-century coastline of Macau on the site of what is now Nam Van Lake. Famous historical structures can be observed in the drawing, including the Ruins of St. Paul, the Penha Church and what appears to be Monte Fort.

Situated on the opposite wall to that landscape is an almost identical piece, except it includes modern structures from the 21st-century such as the Macau Tower, and casinos Grand Lisboa, Wynn Macau, MGM Macau and Sands Macau.

The structures appear in the middle of the sea, some distance from the 17th-century coastline in the drawing’s background, and are supported by miniscule islands no wider than the buildings themselves. As the artist informed, the modern structures stand on their true geographical location today, with their distance from the coast testimony to the many land reclamation projects in the waters around Macau and the rapid urban development of the city.

In another surreal fusion of old and new, seafaring Chinese boats (junks) can be seen sailing between the casinos and the coast, which Fok humorously regards as “casino shuttle boats.”

Fok’s latest piece, however, marks a dramatic turn from his earlier works that mainly depict semi-historical maps. For the piece, Fok created animal characters from his imagination attempting to portray “a world with just animals” and devoid of humankind.

Other works from Fok on exhibition at the IFT Café include his seafaring chests, purchased from antique stores and adorned with his artwork. They are equally reflective of historical Macau, said Fok.

“It’s a little bit nostalgic. When I was a child I found old documents of Macau and I think that these are the main culture left behind in Macau from that period,” he said. “Many Westerners went to the Orient and published many books, journals and maps. They recorded the old Macau and this gives me a reference to create my work.”

Asked about heritage protection in the city and whether the efforts of cultural authorities have been sufficient, Fok smiled and remarked on the difficulty of balancing preservation with urban development.

“It’s very difficult to find a balance between the conservation of the city and its development,” he said. “I just want to record the changes the city has undergone through my drawings.”

The exhibition will remain open to the public until February 10 next year.