Artist showcases raw sketches of artworks

Rui Rasquinho

Macau-based artist Rui Rasquinho is showcasing his new solo exhibition – an unusual exhibition that portrays the process of creating his artworks instead of his completed works.

Sketches of the artist are showcased in Macau Art Garden’s floor and walls, while some are in book format featuring his drawings and paintings in ink, graphite and charcoal.

Titled “Tentative Notebook – Works by Rui Rasquinho” ,the artist noted that this is the first time he has exhibited pieces that are not his final works.

“I realized that the sketches were interesting, so instead of showing final works, I decided to show the drafts,’ he said to the Times.

According to the artist, he aimed to produce a staged studio so that visitors can find his artworks hanging on the walls, floors, notebooks or in papers rolled up on tables.

The studio creates an environment in which it is as if the artist is still in the process of finalizing his works.

Rasquinho was interested in expressing simplicity through black and white. Hence, the exhibition only features the two colors accompanied by a continuous video of waves.

He also hoped that his works would provide visitors with a sense of freedom of interpretation, as his works are figurative and do not represent the world in a realistic way.

“My works give freedom to viewers to view things as only they can perceive [and] that is what I’m interested in,” the artist explained.

Questioned on the current art scene in the territory, Rasquinho lamented that the market is, “non-existent, residual.”

“In terms of artists, it’s booming. We have a lot and quite frankly, they can be found everywhere. […] For Macau – it’s the lack of a market – it’s an interesting art scene in Macau right now,” the artist suggested.

Rasquinho also argued that the local government seldom directs money to relevant culture and arts departments, hindering the market growth for the region’s art sector.

Thus with the growing number of local artists, the artist suggested that the government should continually bring opportunities to art enthusiasts.

Meanwhile, Raquinho is delighted to see that the numbers of young artists are growing. Yet he advised, “Study abroad, and please don’t stay in Macau. They can come back later [but] they need to go away, absorb the world and come back.”

In this exhibition, Raquinho presents his recent artworks dated from 2016 to 2017. The exhibition will be held until June 11 at Macau Art Garden.