Veteran curator reminds young artists to ‘broaden horizons’
Curator Hua Yuzhou
Young artists should cultivate the ability to study the big picture for a greater chance of survival in the ever-changing field of art, said veteran art marketer and exhibition curator Hua Yuzhou in an interview.
Hua was in Macau over the Christmas period for the opening of an art gallery and an exhibition he curated at the Lisboeta Macau.
His suggestion to young artists does not mean constantly learning new techniques because there are always newer techniques which will emerge. “The current art market is ever-changing,” the veteran curator said. “[Artists] cannot keep adjusting to external changes.”
What he objects to is artists not making any changes or adjustments; nonetheless, he thinks their overall mentality or mindset should not change. “Young artists should have a larger view and a macro mentality, so as to stand tall enough to understand how they can survive in this forest of arts,” Hua said.
Looking to the future of the art world, the curator foresees that works of art will feature greater involvement and immersion. “Participation and proactiveness may be inevitable topic for future artists,” Hua said, but he thinks it will not be too difficult for artists to adapt. “When [artists] become aware of the problem, they know that the arts have no spatial restrictions.”
Macau artists, he added, will have the chance to participate, explore and transform.
“Macau residents are gradually adjusting to changes,” Hua said, after seeing how the city’s landscape has transformed, with particular focus on the tourism side. He thinks young people are more adaptable to new elements — although not everything new is accepted.
“Therefore, the generalization and transformation of lifestyle and art forms have a long way to go,” Hua concluded.
Discussing the Lisboeta, Hua considers the design concept of progressing from the old times to the modern very attractive, as well as its incorporation of artistic elements. “Youths can bid farewell to the old times in a new manner here,” he said. “I think this exhibition has a quality that suits the Lisboeta very well.”
Opened on Christmas Day, the arts gallery, Humarish Club, debuted with an annual exhibition titled The Journey Begins: From H853 to Contemporary Art, which is a joint exhibition featuring several contemporary Chinese artists, including Zhou Chunya, Ding Yi, Xue Song, Zheng Zaidong and Li Qiang.
The free exhibition is part of the Chinese and International Pop-Up Art Alliance – Super Art Fair. It will be open every day between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. until February 20, 2022.
