Arts | Wong represents MSAR at Venice Biennale

Wong Cheng Pou

The Macau Museum of Art (MAM) will showcase an exhibition titled “A Bonsai of My Dreams – Works by Wong Cheng Pou” in the upcoming “57th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale Di Venezia” in Venice, Italy from May 13.

During this edition of the prestigious event, the Macau Pavilion will feature a total of 17 new works from the artist, which will be dismantled today and shipped to Venice by tomorrow. Set-up work will commence in mid-April.

The exhibits will mainly consist of three-dimensional works, paintings and photographs.

The exhibition’s title, “A Bonsai of My Dreams”, indicates the intention of the artist to cultivate his personal dreams in bonsai, similar to ancient Chinese literati planting miniatures in small pots.

His artworks, which have been exhibited at MAM, include figures inspired by deities described in the ancient Chinese classic “Shan Hai Jing,” which translates to “the classic of mountains and seas.”

The Chinese classic is a source of information about the religion, history, geography and species of ancient China – reflecting the worldview that prevailed in China two millennia ago.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Wong told the press that he was only given ten weeks to finish the artworks and sculptures. He also noted that the idea of the exhibition’s theme started a long time ago, and was chosen exclusively from his sketches that were drawn over a period of years.

Wong admitted that he could not create more art pieces given the constraints in the exhibition room allocated in the international art exhibition in Venice.

The artist, who is also a columnist, will showcase selected works on his observations and thoughts about the territory. “It’s a little bit of expression about my personal feelings on the development of Macau. The space [that] we can move is getting more tense and narrow, which is just like a little garden,” the artist explained.

When questioned about his expectations for his first exhibition in Italy, the artist just hoped that the audience would have “a very natural connection to an oriental artist.”

“I enjoyed making the works. I hope I can share the feeling of these things [with the audience],” he said.

MAM director Chan Hou Seng said that the budget for the exhibition is some MOP3 million, 15 percent less compared to last year.

Chan also claimed that the art museum saw an increase of 30 percent in its visitors in the first two months of the year compared to the same period last year and attributed the increase to the exhibition’s free admission.