Macao News Macao News https://macaonews.org Tue, 12 Dec 2023 00:20:29 +0000 <![CDATA[António Leong: Documenting Macao one frame at a time]]> Mon, 17 Apr 2023 22:41:36 +0800 Craig Sauers 61357 2023-06-26 22:38:50 2023-04-17 22:41:36 A civil servant by trade and photographer by passion, António Leong talks about discovering photography, the trip that changed his perspective and spreading love for Macao.]]>“Photography is mostly about the contrasts of two different subjects – light and shadow, colours, cultures. In Macao, we have all that in a travel-friendly [package],” says António Leong, the photographer perhaps best known by his social media handle, Antonius Photoscript. Since Leong started shooting photography seriously in 2010, he has amassed more than 20,000 followers online, a loyal fandom drawn to his vibrant images illuminating Macao’s unique juxtapositions – its fusion of East and West, its nooks where old and new converge, its warm human side.   Whether he’s capturing a stunning sunrise over the Colosseum-like Fisherman’s Wharf or school children playing in light-dappled back alleys, Leong has a knack for finding wonder in everyday life in Macao. His work has been so well-received that he has won several National Geographic contests, and exhibited in Paris and Seoul. What’s more, he also gave a TED talk on discovering everyday beauty in 2019. Despite his steady rise to success, however, Leong isn’t a professional photographer. And he doesn’t plan to give up his day job as a civil servant to become one, either. He insists that he’s just a man with a camera and a deep-rooted affinity for the place he calls home.

Finding meaning in photography

[caption id="attachment_62003" align="alignnone" width="2000"]António Leong photography Leong captures slivers of everyday life in Macao's hidden alleyways[/caption] For as long as he could remember, Leong had a pragmatic approach to life. He was born in Macao in 1977 to Chinese parents, picked up Portuguese and English at Portuguese schools Santa Rosa de Lima and Dom Bosco, and then got a degree in civil engineering from the University of Macau because it seemed practical at the time. “I liked art when I was a kid, but in those days, it was pretty hard to survive as an artist. There weren’t a lot of courses you could study,” Leong says. After graduating from university in 1999, he got a government job – a traditionally secure post offering good benefits and a stable salary – and has worked the same job ever since. For decades, he did what most people in Macao do. Every morning, Leong got ready for his day, hopped on the bus or clambered onto his motorbike, and followed his usual route to school or work. Despite living close to Lilau Square for 20 years – a short trip away from its cobblestone footpaths, Portuguese-style homes and famous fountain – he never visited the heritage site. Things changed around 2010, though. Leong bought his first camera – a bulky Nikon D50 he thought could distract him from work – and started dabbling in photography. Like many amateur photographers, he says, he mostly toyed around with his camera when travelling. “When we are on a plane, and we are in a different place, this is where the exploration starts. When you’re travelling, you don’t mind spending three or four hours to reach a landmark… and you just click away” – the opposite of how most people behave in their hometowns, Leong adds. In 2010, he went to Guilin, in mainland China, on a photo trip and had a minor epiphany. Crowds of people lined up to take the same shot of a man in a boat, who would pose with his imposing black cormorant (a type of bird trained to catch fish in the river) for a fee. After they got their photo, they left – a synthetic approach to the hobby he was beginning to discover. Leong looked around at Guilin’s towering limestone hills and mist-covered river and realised there was much more to discover.  “That’s not what I wanted to get out of photography,” he explains. “It would be like using canned soup to cook a signature dish. Sure, it tastes good, but it’s nothing I did. It’s just canned soup.”

Seeing Macao from a new perspective

When Leong returned to Macao, he felt resolved to treat his hometown with a renewed sense of wonder and admiration. He started wandering around the city during lunch breaks or after he clocked out. “I started to shoot a lot and take my camera with me basically every day,” Leong says. “[Everywhere I went], I found more and more interesting landmarks.  He began to see Macao in a new light. He spent time around the Ruins of St Paul’s, St Dominic’s Church and Senado Square, visiting every season to see how the scenery changed. He frequented the Red Market – one of his favourite places to shoot – and got to know the vendors.
In this video produced by Macao News, we invite Leong and a local photography enthusiast to show us their go-to underrated spots to snap photos of the city
Leong also began to appreciate Macao’s cultural quirks, like Portuguese architectural elements woven into the Mandarin’s House, or the Portuguese-influenced Barra Square and Maritime Museum leading up to A-Ma Temple. He also discovered the serene beauty of Lilau Square, a place he had passed so many times before but never bothered to explore. “Macao is such a small place. We often think, ‘I can visit this place anytime because it’s right here,’ but ‘anytime’ means you never go,” he explains.  As he immersed himself in the medium, Leong honed his style by studying the work of his favourite photographers: French humanist Henri Cartier-Bresson, Chinese street photographer Ho Fan and black-and-white specialist Daido Moriyama, a member of the 20th-century Japanese avant-garde. Once Leong started sharing his shots on Facebook and Instagram in 2012, he quickly discovered he had found more than just a new hobby. His photography was opening doors. [See more: Snap a Memory of Macao: 10 photo-worthy spots and how to capture them] In 2013, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) invited him to share his work in Seoul as part of its “Vibrant Colours of Macau” exhibition. “It was a very lucky thing for me,  because I only started sharing my photography a year earlier and I already got into an exhibition,” he says.  [caption id="attachment_62004" align="alignnone" width="2000"]António Leong photography Leong shot this Wes Anderson-style photo in Macao during the Covid-19 pandemic[/caption] Over the next four years, he exhibited in Hong Kong, Paris and Macao. In 2016, Leong secured his first solo exhibition, called “La Vie en Macau,” a collection of work displayed in a gallery at Albergue SCM. Featuring roughly 30 photographs that capture memories of the city’s early days as a fishing village and fleeting everyday moments, the exhibition showed viewers the city was more than a gaming hub. The same year, he claimed second place in National Geographic’s international photo contest. In 2018 and 2019, he took home even more honours from National Geographic, including first place in the mobile photography category in the 2018 photo contest.  In 2021, the Macao Catholic Culture Association (ACCM) hosted his exhibition, “Discovering Everyday Beauty,” highlighting Macao’s everyday wonders. Now, he’s working with the ACCM to document the city’s churches for an upcoming photo book.

Spreading love for Macao

“My wife jokes that I could be a taxi driver when I retire – I don’t need Google Maps; I know all the small roads,” Leong says with a laugh.  But retirement won’t happen for years to come. Leong, only in his mid-40s, is content to carry on with his day job while devoting at least 30 minutes each day to exploring the city, a point he says he reinforced during his 2019 TED talk. “Doctors always say we should be doing 30 minutes of exercise every day. I don’t do a lot of exercise, but I do a lot of walking and shooting,” he says. In the meantime, he continues to study the craft and experiment with different cameras and techniques. Today, he uses a fully manual, mirrorless Leica to get his shots. “It’s like driving a manual transmission car – totally different from a Tesla,” he says.  He has also dabbled in “miniature faking”. Sometimes called the diorama effect, the technique makes a shot of a life-size object look like a miniature model. “After 10 years, I want to break the rules, but now it’s really hard for me to do that,” he admits. That isn’t stopping him from trying, or from encouraging others to do the same. Tourists and locals alike, he says, should look past Macao’s Instagram hotspots and “find something that’s really yours”. Whether it’s a market, a back alley or simply “turning your head around and shooting something in the other direction” when you’re queued up to get a shot of the Grand Lisboa Hotel, he tells others to explore spots that “get you closer to the local people”.  [caption id="attachment_62005" align="alignnone" width="2000"]António Leong photography Leong loves shooting at the Inner Harbour, where fishing boats, sampans and cargo ships create interesting compositions[/caption] “When you have better interactions with the local people and local places, you get more attached to the culture itself,” he says.  Leong discovered this firsthand on photo walks he joined in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. “They don’t bring you to the Instagram spots. They bring you to the local market, and [the guides] are so attached to the locals; you can shoot whatever you want,” he says.  In fact, those experiences may eventually lead him to do something similar in Macao whenever he retires. Someday, Leong might play a hands-on role helping others to learn the craft. Like him, they might see a different side of Macao behind the lens.   “I want everyone to better [appreciate] the multicultural influence here,” he says. “Macao is very different from the rest of the world, the rest of the cities in China. There’s poetry everywhere. We have a mix of different cultures in a single place that we probably [fail to appreciate] as locals.”   ]]> <![CDATA[Jimson Kin Wa Hoi]]> Fri, 28 May 2021 11:20:31 +0800 Rafelle Allego 39804 2021-08-13 10:30:18 2021-05-28 11:20:31 Jimson Kin Wa Hoi's love affair with music began very early in life when he first picked up the violin at eight and has dedicated more than 20 years to musical training.]]>Jimson Kin Wa Hoi’s lifelong love affair with music began with his introduction to the violin in his childhood and has evolved over more than 20 years of training and performing. From such early beginnings, music has permeated throughout his life, and through his professional career, Hoi has striven to foster a love of music for future generations and expand the culture of Macao.  “I cannot tell you exactly what it is about music that fills my life, but as a music educator, I take my role in bringing music to Macao’s youth very seriously,” Hoi asserts.

A performer is born and made

Born in Guangdong, in May 1962, Hoi is the oldest of three siblings and the only one in his family to pursue a career in music. When he was around nine years old, a close family friend – through his mother – had a son his age who had begun learning the violin. Hoi’s mother saw this and soon convinced him to start violin lessons.  In the late 70s, Hoi’s family immigrated to Macao, where he continued studying music at St. Pio X Academy of Music under Chan Pong Cheang (鄭震邦) and Wai Ling Cheang (鄭偉玲). Under their tutelage, Hoi became the youngest member of the Macao Chamber Orchestra (OCM) at the age of 19 when it was founded in 1983. “I spent thirteen music seasons with the Macao Chamber Orchestra. It was a very precious experience of my life. To be touched by so many different composers’ works and to perform with many soloists as well as conductors, my eyes were opened. Our repertoire included hundreds of orchestral works, both by Western and Chinese composers alike.” Hoi recalls that it was a balancing act managing his day job as a salesman as well as a full-time Math and English teacher at Instituto Salesiano while pursuing music. He often found only an hour or two to practice per day. “I never expected I could perform on stage before the Macao Chamber Orchestra was formed. It was a dream come true. I was blessed with both luck and good timing.”

A journey from performer to administrator and leader

In 1983 and 1984, Hoi was chosen as one of Macao’s representatives for the Hong Kong Youth Music Camp organised by the Music Office of the Hong Kong government. When Music Director Doming Lam – Macao-born composer considered the leading pioneer of contemporary musical development in Hong Kong from the 1960s –  first approached him about helping out with the house programs for the OCM, Hoi initially declined, citing lack of experience. But Lam was willing to mentor Hoi, and soon enough, he got the hang of it.  After nearly six years working part-time on house programs, Hoi became a full-time staff member at the Cultural Affairs Bureau (ICM), in 1988. In addition to working for the Macao Chamber Orchestra, he engaged in work related to arts education and the Macau Youth Music Competition in the bureau’s Cultural Activities Department and was made coordinator, later transferred to the Macao Conservatory in 2002.  Around 1990 and still at ICM, Hoi was fortunate to be chosen as one of the first two people from Macao to join the Arts Management undergraduate course at The University of Hong Kong. Arts Management combines tools of business, such as management, marketing and planning, with community building, like fundraising, development and education, to build bridges between art, artists and audience.  “My eyes were opened by this course. Arts Management was fresh at the time. It was not something most people even knew about. It was quite interesting to me to learn skills in managing professional musicians and an orchestra. And fundraising, the most important thing to survive.”  After leaving OCM’s performing stage in 1995, Hoi began teaching violin at Sacred Heart Canossian College and Macau Pui Ching Middle School with good friend Ka Wong, now the manager of the Macao Orchestra, exploring the organisation and management of student string ensembles. Later on, Wong went on to study in Shanghai and Australia. In 1996, with great effort from Hoi and Wong – together with Macau Band Association Director Leung Kin Hang – the Symphony Orchestra of Macau Pui Ching Middle School was founded. It was the first school orchestra in town, until another school orchestra at the Macau Baptist College appeared 12 years later.  Hoi has assisted three more schools in forming their own orchestras and has served as conductor to the Orchestra of Sacred Heart Canossian College (English Section) – established in 2010 – as well as the Macau Pui Ching Middle School String Ensemble. As Hoi says, the three aforementioned named orchestras remain the only ‘complete’ orchestras in the whole of Macao, a feat that is difficult due to costs needed to run orchestras in the first place, which is a testament to the work they’ve maintained.

The Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra: Past, present, future

In 2004, Hoi became full-time Director of the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO), after many years of involvement and effort. He left civil service soon after. “MYSO was built initially on an idea I got from the Hong Kong government’s Music Office, established over 40 years ago. At that time, kids were addicted to electronic game consoles after school. So the Hong Kong government decided to change that by setting up this music office to provide an environment to let the kids learn music, instead of getting stuck on electronic game consoles.”  The Hong Kong government heavily invested in and subsidised this music program. “As a result, Arts Performance in Hong Kong is a thriving industry today, both from the perspective of performers as well as audience. The Hong Kong Music Office made a valuable contribution to the culture of the city.” Back in the 1980s, many families in Macao found themselves in a similar situation: Parents worked day and night, lacking time to monitor their children. Hoi tried to replicate what had been achieved in Hong Kong. “In Macao, people generally were not familiar with western instruments beyond the piano and violin, and didn’t have much interest in learning classical music.” There was no cello at all in Macao at that time, Hoi notes, who then bought ten cellos to invite interested students to learn for free. In 1996, Hoi discussed with Wong and Leung the possibility of forming a symphony orchestra by combining smaller string ensembles and wind bands. This eventually became MYSO in 1997. MYSO’s first mission as a nonprofit organisation is to provide an orchestra stage to local youth with an opportunity to learn and perform. Through connections made over the years in both Hong Kong and Macao, Hoi has enlisted mentors for MYSO musicians, many of them widely respected musicians like Leung Kin Fung, Yiu Song Lam, Michael Ma and Ray Wang. “As a result, over 70 of our orchestra students have attended prestigious international music schools, including the Curtis School of Music, the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, the Royal School of Music in London, the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, the China Central Conservatory of Music and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music,” Hoi boasts proudly. “These efforts by the MYSO are our commitment to the continuous development of the cultural heritage of Macao.” Today, MYSO is thriving. Hoi explains that 30–40 years ago, typically there would only be a handful of pianists pursuing classical music professionally. Interest, awareness and outlook are all brighter and more expansive today:  “This is already beyond my expectations. It is an amazing grace from God indeed. We have our local teachers now, many of them previous MYSO students. They are a new generation of professional musicians. I can say this is the first generation of local musicians in Macao.” The MYSO has toured internationally twelve times since its inaugural 2007 tour to Australia and Singapore. “It has opened the eyes of the Macao youth to this wonderful world, to share Macao culture with friends in Europe, the US, Australia, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. This is what and why we tour.”  In 2008, the MYSO was the only youth orchestra from China invited to join the World Peace Choral Festival in Vienna, to perform at Vienna’s Wiener Musikverein and Salzburg’s Mozarteum. “Nobody expected – and I never thought it – that the orchestra would be where it is today when I first founded it in 1997.” [caption id="attachment_39807" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Hoi with his son at MYSO[/caption] The MYSO has changed the lives of so many Macao youth, including Hoi himself. His two children are pursuing music. His son Yan Lok Hoi studies violin under world-renowned violinist Boris Kuschnir at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (MUK), one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious music institutions. His daughter Jessica Hoi studies oboe, also at MUK. In recognition of his substantial efforts, the Macao government awarded Hoi the Order of Merit in 2004. As a devout Christian, Hoi also serves as Conductor of Grace Choir at the Macau Evangelical Church, in addition to his demanding MYSO duties. “Life is full of music, and we must be grateful and celebrate it wherever it may be!”  ]]> <![CDATA[Galina Bessmertnaia]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2020 08:08:24 +0800 Kate Springer 31896 2023-01-26 04:37:53 2020-11-20 08:08:24 Galina Bessmertny is passionate about the power of the piano, a compelling devotion she has brought to Macao. ]]>“There is something about the piano that just drives me wild” In elementary school, Bessmertnaia stood out amongst her peers. Noticing her interest in music and natural talent, her teachers immediately enrolled the young girl in music classes. “When I entered first grade, I could easily memorise songs, and it was just a pleasure for me to learn music,” she says. “I enjoyed my childhood a lot but it was very hard work, of course.” Bessmertnaia took piano lessons twice a week and practiced at least an hour a day, if not more, on top of school, homework, choir and other responsibilities. “It was very intense,” she recalls. “You know, every Russian girl during Soviet times had to either play music or do ballet. It is a must. And once you start, you have to really concentrate on polishing your musical skills.” She considered quitting many times, often feeling jealous of the children outside playing basketball, football and running free in the streets. Her father encouraged her to stick with it, and young Bessmertnaia pressed on. Her hard work paid off. At the age of 10, Bessmertnaia stepped into the limelight at her first regional piano competition. Initially, she had a sense of stage fright, but it disappeared as soon as she struck a note. “It felt like the biggest moment in my life,” she recalls. “I love to perform but sometimes you feel so stressed. If you can overcome that, and find your confidence and skills, it becomes one sparkling moment.” The concert, in which she won third place, marked the start of a glittering career as a concert pianist. In secondary school, Bessmertnaia also played for her own enjoyment, with a soft spot for late romantic Russian composers. “When I was around 15, I loved Scriabin’s Étude Op. 8 No. 12 so much. It was my favourite piece and, even now, I can play it from beginning to the end, even if I wake up in the middle of the night.” She continued a rigorous practice and performance schedule and, later, at 17, Bessmertnaia played Tchaikovsky’s piano Concerto No. 1 during a regional concert for the Music College Orchestra in Temirtau, her hometown. Though she found it daunting to perform with older students, the young talent made her city proud. “It felt like the whole city was celebrating this concert. They were very proud of me,” she recalls. “Some kind of magic happens when you start performing. The stage fills me with so much excitement that I perform even better than when I am practicing.” [caption id="attachment_31905" align="aligncenter" width="683"]Galina Bessmertny plays on her piano Galina Bessmertnaia plays the piano in her home[/caption] As she progressed, the pianist aimed higher and higher. And soon enough, her future became clear: After secondary school, Bessmertnaia entered the Music College in Temirtau, where she earned a bachelor’s degree as a professional concert pianist. In 1985 she moved to Vladivostok, a city in southeastern Russia, to continue her piano performance studies at the Far Eastern Academy of Art. It was harder than she could have imagined. The intense training ran at least eight hours a day and, at times, professors would assign 100 pages of sheet music to be memorised within days. That’s why talent, she says, is only part of the equation. Patience, hard work, memory, technical skills and emotion are the keys to being a successful professional pianist. During her studies in Vladivostok, Bessmertnaia says one of the highlights was attending a master class with legendary Russian pianist Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter, who is considered one of the greatest pianists of all time. “That was really a turning point for me in terms of using unique Russian piano training methods to teach and play the piano.” After six years of extreme focus and hard work, Bessmertnaia graduated with a master’s degree in Piano Performance and Chamber Ensemble in 1991 at the age of 27. In the years following, she performed across Russia and was invited to open a new musical school in Vladivostok, where she worked as the director for two years. Then, in 1993, she made a dramatic change. Ready for an adventure, she moved to Macao with her husband, acclaimed artist Konstantin Bessmertny, and their young son. The next year, she taught piano lessons at the Macao Conservatory as well as the Academia de Música S. Pío X, while simultaneously juggling concerts and a small child. “To develop a fully professional career in Macao was challenging – you really have to travel and perform abroad, and be 100 per cent focused on performances, practicing and your career. I was invited to some Asian tours to play, but I wasn’t ready to leave my family for a few weeks or a couple of months.” She turned her focus to local performances with an orchestra and chamber ensembles and, later, shifted her work towards teaching. All the while, she started to fall in love with Macao – as her first destination outside of Russia, the city felt exotic and infinitely interesting. “Macao is like Asia and Europe at the same time, so there was so much to discover. We really loved exploring the streets and the food, old Macao, all the Chinese restaurants, Chinese culture, and Portuguese culture.” As she settled into her new home, Bessmertnaia set to work learning Portuguese and English, having already learned German home, in addition to her mother tongue of Russian. She also leaned into her teaching job at the conservatory, where she worked with the city’s highest performing pianists, from young children to professional adults. “I have always enjoyed teaching and working with children. Many of my students have won many gold medals, judged by professionals. We prepare seriously – and we always aim to get first place. It is very rewarding to watch them grow.” Part of the secret to their success, she says, is hard work, patience and a sensitive ear. In her own experience, she recalls a teacher asking her to sit in silence and just listen for five minutes. “I have always remembered this, because it was one of my first sound experiences. You must first learn to listen – really listen – to the silence.” A musician has a trained ear, she adds, and they hear the world differently than other people. Ten years ago, Bessmertnaia left the Macao Conservatory and the Academia de Música S. Pío X, however, she continued to offer private lessons in Macao and Hong Kong while simultaneously helping her husband organise art exhibitions all over the world. The pair is also working on a new art platform, which will strive to facilitate connections between artists and the public. When she is not working, Bessmertnaia still finds herself immersed in music. In the mornings, she might play soothing natural soundscapes or some Bach to set the tone for the day. “I often advise people to start their day with Bach. All of his music is quite logical and in harmony, which helps your brain organise your day, start your practice, and clear your mind.” Come evening, she often experiments on her Yamaha baby grand piano for an hour, enjoys a jazz hour or hosts an impromptu concert with friends at her artistic home in Macao. Her whole family is passionate about art and music, jumping at any opportunity to attend a music festival, show, concert – whatever’s on. For nearly 30 years, Bessmertnaia has attended the Macao International Music Festival every autumn. “I love to see the choirs, the Baroque chamber opera – you are just speechless when you see the beautiful stage in Asia. It’s hard to get tickets, though, so that is a sign that there is appetite for a lot more music in Macao.”  ]]> <![CDATA[Veronika Csajági]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2020 17:00:06 +0800 Macao News 26443 2021-02-03 10:13:26 2020-07-10 17:00:06 Introduced to the flute quite early in life, Veronika Csajági says that playing classical music can train the personality and creativity of those willing to commit to it.]]> Photo courtesy of Veronika Csajági[/caption] In 2014, Csajági joined the Macao Orchestra, which was formed in 1983 and consists of around 60 musicians from across the world. She has been part of the orchestra ever since. Aside from being the second flautist, she is also the ensemble’s only player of the piccolo, a small flute that sounds an octave higher than the regular instrument. “It is tiny but it is loud,” she says, warning us not to be fooled by appearances. Classical musicians are trained to learn a set of instruments and learning the piccolo is part of a flautist’s education. During her formative years, first at the Liszt Academy in Budapest, where she obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music, then as a member of the Györ Philharmonic Orchestra, also in Hungary, Csajági claims she built up her profile to be a piccolo player. Csajági says that she had ‘not planned’ to come to Macao prior to joining the city’s orchestra. “A door opened and I did not slap it shut,” she says, adding that she’s ‘always loved’ Asia, particularly the continent’s movies, music, paintings and places. “So, next to the main motivation that I wanted to work in a symphonic orchestra, it was an adventure to move to Macao.” Csajági applied for the position, passed a preliminary DVD audition and got an invitation to undertake a three-month trial period. She excelled and was able to join the orchestra. “I was honoured to work with highly qualified musicians,” she says. Over the years, Csajági has participated in many concerts and has had many influences but she admits that she finds it difficult to name a favourite composer, highlighting instead the experience of ‘immersion’ in a variety of compositions and pieces. “I have enjoyed many beautiful experiences and memories with many [classical music] pieces,” she says. “I need stimuli and challenges. My musical experience is a never-ending journey of curiosity.” Over the past six years in Macao, Csajági, who has previously worked with the Danubia Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hungarian Radio Philharmonic Orchestra as a guest musician, has devoted four years to also teaching music at the Macao Conservatory as a part-time instructor. “Classical music can be a kind of knowledge that you wouldn’t use directly,” she says. “But it can train both your personality and your creativity. This European heritage is recognised in Asia as an important part of a person’s skills. In Macao, I have had students who have put a lot of effort into studying music next to their school or job. They want to evolve and I have been happy to contribute to this.” Outside playing on the Macao Orchestra, Csajági likes to study Chinese and draw, as well as paint. She also has an interest in psychology and likes reading books. Topics that have stood out for her are Van Gogh's letters, Chagall's My Life and the Flow Theory. "I can also mention Saramago," she adds, saying that Macao brought her closer to knowing this author's works. Some of her favourite places in Macao include the "old moulded-humid-sunny streets" of Old Taipa, Barra and Coloane. "The A-Ma Temple, Hac-Sa Beach, and the numerous casinos also have a special vibe," Csajági says, "I like museums with Chinese culture and the city's hidden cafes, all of which, when put together, makes Macao."  ]]> <![CDATA[Alice Kok]]> Fri, 24 May 2019 09:00:50 +0800 Catarina Brites Soares 18323 2021-02-03 10:16:20 2019-05-24 09:00:50 Born in 1978 in Macao, Kok always had a strong affinity to art. It was always part of her life, though she originally viewed it as just a hobby. ]]>“I realised that the artistic sector in France was very consolidated; it would be much harder for me to stake a claim there than in a system that was still being created,” she explains, referring to Macao. “And I have no regrets.” She began working as a curator in the territory in 2007, at the invitation of the local artist James Chu. Around the same time, she met Ricardo Pinto, director of Macao Closer magazine, who offered her work at the publication and she eventually became its editor. Over the last ten years, she has taught at the University of Science and Technology, St Joseph’s University, the University of Macao and the Macao Tourism Institute. She also regularly contributes to the newspaper Tai Chun Pou by writing and translating (she is fluent in English, French, Mandarin and Cantonese). And, of course, she has continued her artistic work, which includes videos, photography, drawing, writing and installations. She has been president of the Macao Art for All society since 2014 and this year was named executive director of the Script Road Literary Festival. In Macao, Alice Kok has had five solo exhibitions. The last one, “Emptiness is Form”, was in 2018. Her visual work has also been screened three times, with the documentary “Ten for Perfection” shown at the Cinemateca in 2017. “I didn’t pursue the dream of being only an artist. But I consider myself lucky because even though I was never very aggressive about building a career, in the last ten years I’ve followed a diversified professional course. I do what I like”. And where she likes, as she continues to divide her personal and professional life between Macao and Tibet.  ]]> <![CDATA[Nuno Lopes]]> Mon, 03 Dec 2018 10:12:13 +0800 Macao News 17181 2021-02-03 10:32:21 2018-12-03 10:12:13 Nuno Lopes is the first local Macao fashion designer to have made great strides in the fashion industry overseas in England before making his way back to his Asian roots. After debuting his latest collection at Sands Macau Fashion Week, he hopes to continue showcasing his latest collections around Asia and keep building his brand.]]>Generations of glamour As a proud Macao local, Nuno Lopes was raised by loving parents as the eldest out of three siblings. His parents were always supportive of his ambitions and never pushed him to be or do anything he did not want. This stable background has allowed Lopes' fashion line to flourish over the years. From the start, Lopes’ education began at Dom Bosco primary school where he studied for the first six years. Then he continued on to Yuet Wah secondary all-boys’ school. Although he was a diligent student, the Priest recommended him to transfer after just one year. From there he finished his remaining secondary education at St. Joseph’s School. At a fresh age of 15, Lopes moved from Macao to England to pursue his higher education at St Neots Community College for three years. By age 18, he had made his way to Hertfordshire, England to complete a two-year course in fashion and clothing at Oaklands College. He then went on to Middlesex University to attain his BA degree in Fashion Design. Lopes displayed a talent for sketching from a young age, however, it was the women in his life that enhanced his interest toward fashion. One of Lopes’ fondest childhood memories is of the time his grandmother handmade a Halloween costume for him. It marked the first time he laid eyes on a sewing machine. Immediately captivated by it, the young Lopes thought to himself, ‘How amazing is this machine…a simple tool for making clothes that you can express yourself with.’ In addition, his mother, who placed third in the 1985 Miss Macao pageant, contributed to his lavish fashion sense and love for glamorous designs – a love clearly on display in the National Costume outfit that Lopes tailor-made for his sister, Debora Oliveira, who represented Macao at Miss Grand International this past October. From his many pieces, it’s obvious that gold is entwined into every piece within Lopes’ design since his first fashion show, a representation of the glitz and glamour of his hometown. Having lived away from Macao since his teenage years, incorporating gold into his collections helped him cope with feelings of homesickness. It is a thread that will continue to run through his work as it evolves over time. Gold also reminds Lopes of his most admired designer, the late Gianni Versace; Versace being one of his favourite fashion brands. Since this color has become such a prominent aspect of his line, he even realises it has brought him and his brand good luck. “Blonde hair color in the Chinese language means gold, which fits my brand aesthetic perfectly. Ever since I dyed my hair blonde, things have been going upwards for me. It naturally became my signature.”

A dedicated journey

Although it is only just the beginning of his career, Lopes has come a long way. His successes underpinned by passion for design and an impressive work ethic. Just a week before his graduation fashion showcase in London, his first show ever, Lopes was waking up in the early hours before sunrise to start work. With more students than sewing machines, he remembers rushing to the college campus each day to claim one for himself or else he would miss a whole day of production- a risk he was never willing to take. Day after day, he would lug all his materials and sketches to campus, half-frozen in the peak of London’s winter. He survived off English breakfast tea and Kit Kat bars, too focused on finishing his pieces to break for proper food. Lopes strongly remembers this to be the moment that nearly broke him. Had it not been for a reassuring phone call and text message from his mother, reminding him how hard he had worked and to stay positive, Lopes very well might have forfeited his passion in that split second. “If I had chosen to give up then, I would not be here right now, talking to you after my very own brand’s show in Macao Fashion Week,” he reflected. From then on, Lopes worked his way towards becoming the first fashion designer in Macao to featured on Vogue. He was also awarded the Asia Top Young Fashion Designers award at Fashion Asia Awards 2016. The first collection launched at his graduation showcase in London was titled ‘Midas Touch’. His second collection thereafter was ‘Social Narcissism’, and the third is ‘Diamond Rain’. Many daily life experiences help to inspire Lopes to create collections based on themes. For Diamond Rain, he was directly inspired through watching Jeffery Star’s YouTube tutorial videos.

Future in fashion

People may have the notion that Macao’s fashion designing industry is not prominent, but Lopes seems to think otherwise. “I believe there are many designers nowadays in Macao, they work hard but the only issue, in my opinion, is that there are not enough opportunities for them to show their work”. Luckily for Lopes, he has been a loyal member of the Macao Clothing Brands Incubation Platform, an organisation that allows Lopes along with a tight group of other Macao local designers to rent workspace to design and develop their fashion lines. The Platform is run by run by Candy Lai, whom Lopes claims, has “been a great mentor for [him] along this journey in fashion designing and branding.” He believes this organisation is one of the best ways for young designers like him to take their careers to the next level. Aside from Lopes’ budding presence in the fashion industry, he is also employed at Manulife to help support his fashion line. Balancing his work life, Lopes is sure to make time for his own personal pleasures such as travelling. His favourite place to travel is Portugal, where his first trip there was just at 3 years old and ever since he has been back 15 times. His next dream destination is Rome; he and his grandmother promised one another they would go together. He hopes to fulfil this promise with her in the coming years. Reflecting on his successes and obstacles that he has overcome, Lopes notes that although the designing side of his brand may come more naturally for him, it is the operations and managing aspect of his business that has challenged him. Regardless of any obstacles faced by young designers, “stay true to your creative vision and aesthetic. It is important to have a distinguished style and brand identity. When the audiences can easily differentiate your brand out of all the others by simply looking at your work, that for me is what defines a successful brand,” Lopes urges.  ]]> <![CDATA[Cecilia Ho]]> Thu, 22 Nov 2018 12:54:38 +0800 Macao News 17097 2021-02-03 10:20:20 2018-11-22 12:54:38 From a young age, Cecilia Ho dreamed of becoming an artist. After following her passion for art, along with hard work and dedication, she is now the founder and executive director of Photo Macau art fair and a successful Macao-born artist.]]>From the beginning Cecilia Ho still remembers the days when she used to stroll down Praia Grande Avenue watching the boats and the fishermen, while the sun shined upon the Pearl River Delta. This scene would later be present in some of the works by this Macao-born woman who always dreamed of being an artist. “I dreamed about that from a very tender age, 7 or 8. I remember my dream being completely broken in pieces when my art teacher told me ‘Forget about it, judging from your work you’ll never make it’. When she told me this, I was very upset about it, very emotional, but I actually made it.” Born to “a very modest family”, Ho spent some years living in Fai Chi Kei area, “in what we now call temporary houses”. “We were five children, typical during that time when the big family was à la mode. We are four girls and one boy, so that’s probably the reason we have quite a big family because boys are important for both Chinese and European families”, she says. Ho’s education started at Yuet Wah College for girls. After finishing Chinese school, she moved to the English section of Sacred Heart Canossian College. “That (education) thought me how to speak English and then, two years later, I moved to Colegio de Santa Rosa de Lima, which is now quite a different school from the days when I was there. After so many years abroad, when I came back to Macao and visited my mother school, Santa Rosa, the first thing I found out was that they don’t speak English anymore. When I spoke to my principal or teachers during my time there, we would be fined if we didn’t speak English. One sentence, 50 cents, I remember, the perfect carried a picky bag”, she laughs.

Young accomplishments 

In 1978, Ho finishes her Form Six level at Colegio de Santa Rosa de Lima and prepares for her first experience abroad. “I’ve studied in England and then, after a few years in London. I came back to Macao, worked in a bank and I met my husband here.” The fact that she met her lifetime companion, a Frenchman, at an early age was decisive: “Absolutely, it changed my life completely,” she admits. Ho soon got married and then followed her husband to different cities. “As he was an expatriate, the first place he took me was to Hong Kong. My first child was born there and soon afterwards he took me to his family, in Singapore.” This was the year of 1989, and that’s when Ho’s art studies begin. “Most of my studies will be after my marriage. My art education all came after my marriage, and even some of it came in Paris later on. I was already a mother and that’s quite a story because not too many mothers would go to school”, she says with a smile. During four years in Singapore, Ho studied art and learned from a particular teacher who specialised in Chinese painting and calligraphy, and also went to Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts while looking after her first child. “After that, my husband took us to Paris, where we’ve stayed for three years and where I was carrying the duties of a wife, a mother, and a student. I’ve studied arts and at the same time I’ve learned how to speak French, and therefore French is considered my third language.”

Artistic passion

In 1994, the family relocates to Hong Kong, where Ho, a mother of a girl and also a boy, lived most of the past two decades. The dream of being an artist persisted, and also the will for teaching art to others. “I always said, ‘if I have a chance I’ll become a teacher’, because an inspiring teacher is important, and therefore I became a teacher later on. When I came back to Hong Kong, I opened an art school, called Cecilia Ho’s Art Club, giving professional art training to people of all ages in a belief that I do agree, which is: art has no complete frame. When you are happy in creating art, you should go ahead. There’s no good art or bad art, art is art itself and all people should believe they could create art.” It was her art school that put her in the way of a student who would open the doors of the British Royal Academy to her works. “I was still a teacher and I enjoyed very much. One day, one of my students came to me and said ‘Teacher, I really enjoy your work. Could you please join the submission to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition?’ In fact, she was a trustee of the Royal Academy, which in England is a very famous art school”, she recalls. Ho decided to submit three works and two months later the Royal Academy picked six pieces out of hundreds of them. All three of Ho’s works were selected. “I was extremely happy. And since I was announced to be the first Chinese to have exhibited there, they invited me over for the vernissage. I was very emotional because before that I had never participated in a single exhibition. It was a big event in my life, I was interviewed by the BBC and mingling with all the big stars, all the big guys. Then, every year since 1996 – 1997, 1998, 1999 – I submitted my works and I got in consecutive for four years.” Because of her French nationality, Ho also decided, “to participate more on the French art scene”. In 2000, she got selected for the Salon d'Automne, an annual art exhibition held in Paris since 1903, where renowned names such as Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse and Paul Gauguin have exhibited their works. “I was extremely proud, because of the past history of Salon d'Automne, and then I got in again in 2003 when they celebrated 100 years. I was just a small potato next to some of those big names, but I’m extremely proud that at some point my work was next to theirs.” From this moment onwards, Ho exhibited regularly in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Her work “has evolved from Chinese painting at the time of the Royal Academy, to more abstract at the Salon d'Automne, to architectural work, and later on to photographic work and conceptual work”, over a time span of more than 20 years. “There was a major change on my work when in 2012 I’ve started a very big artistic project, called “Transporting Qi”, transporting people’s qi [that translates from the Chinese as ‘air’ but has a much more powerful meaning that can be summarised as ‘vital force’] from Macao and Hong Kong for over 2000 kilometres.” Qi is formless, and Ho decided to give it a form, with people filling red balloons with their qi. “We were meeting people everywhere and asking them to donate their qi as a symbol of support to the rural part of China in Yunnan, which is now a UNESCO site but it wasn’t when I was doing this project. It’s a very important project to me, it completely changed my work, it was documented in video and photography, and because of this work I’ve been invited to a few countries; Germany, to the documenta in Kassel; Australia, at FotoFreo festival. I also did my first solo in Hong Kong because of this work, I’ve submitted it to the Venice Biennale with Macao, but it was only shortlisted. Because of this, I’ve also had my first Macao exhibition”, she says.

Looking forward 

In 2015, Ho decides to come back to Macao and starts working on a new project she kick-started earlier this year: Photo Macau, an art fair devoted to photography and new media. “Despite being away for almost 30 years, I’ve always felt a very strong attachment to Macao, this strong feeling like a baby, fed by its motherland”, she explains. The idea of creating Photo Macau came from Ho’s belief that “the future of art is digital”, and the fact that, “there was no art event in South China dedicated to photography and new media, there’s Art Basel in Hong Kong but it’s just a part of it, it’s not specialised.” Therefore, Photo Macau happens in March, just like Art Basel, and tries to attract to Macao some of the art lovers that visit the neighbour city during that month. The first edition of Photo Macau required big efforts and the result was positive. However, Ho couldn’t avoid feeling a bit disappointed. “Despite all our efforts, it’s difficult to realise that Macao people don’t care about art. It can be quite frustrating, but then I thought ‘if I don't do anything about it, it will be like this forever’, so it may take time but perhaps we can help changing it.” March 2019 will see the 2nd edition of Photo Macau happening in town, focusing on the Portuguese-speaking countries and also on Turkey, the executive director announces. Used to call home to both Hong Kong and Macao, Ho has an interesting view on both cities regarding their arts scene if we ask her to compare them: “Hong Kong is a city on the move; Macao is a nostalgic city.”]]> <![CDATA[Wilson Chi-Ian Lam]]> Mon, 25 Sep 2017 15:00:21 +0800 Leonor Sá Machado 13361 2021-02-03 10:09:33 2017-09-25 15:00:21 Wilson Chi-Ian Lam is CEO and Creative Director of Macau Creations. A graphic designer and art curator, he is a member of multiple culture and creativity groups including the Association of Registered Designers of Ontario. ]]>Macau Creations. A graphic designer and art curator, he is a member of multiple culture and creativity groups including the Association of Registered Designers of Ontario. He is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Born on 3 June 1960, Lam’s parents divorced when he was three. His mother left him and his four siblings in the care of their father, and Lam has not seen her since. His father was a butcher working at a local market and struggled to care for all four children alone and so Lam took on the mantle of caring for his family, cooking meals and taking care of the housework by the age of 11. Sadly he ended up leaving school before completing his education. In 1975, after a recommendation from an uncle, Lam took a job at Wa Fung advertising company, drawing posters and designing billboards. At the time this work was all done by hand, as there were no software systems to use. “Back then a good designer was someone who knew how to paint and write beautifully,” he says. This experience, however, allowed him to nurture his skills as a calligrapher, painter and sketcher. In 1980, Lam and his business partner Ieng Lai started their own firm, New Impressions Advertising Company. Work included consulting for the University of Macau, and they also had the opportunity to design and produce sets for the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which was filmed locally. The business was going well, but Lam’s world was rocked when his longtime girlfriend from Macao announced that she was emigrating to Toronto, Canada. “We kept in touch for three long years, exchanging love letters. It really helped me improve my Chinese, which was quite weak because I left school so early,” Lam laughs. Unable to keep away from his love, in 1983, he decided to move to Toronto to be with her. Here he went back to school, graduating first from East York Collegiate Institute and then the renowned Ontario College of Art and Design. He studied corporate design, and even won a Gold Award at the Canadian Student Design Competition in 1989. This award helped him gain his first design job in Canada, working for Burns and Company. However, after a few years Lam craved a new challenge. He quit his job and bought a Chinese character-cutting plotter from Hong Kong. “With this machine I could help all the businesses in Toronto’s China Town to make their advertising more modern, by moving away from traditional handwritten ads,” he explains. “I always say that change is good – I love to learn and give myself new challenges.” During his time in Canada, Lam continued to innovate, creating a painting school for children and founding the design firms ARTiculation in 1993, and Wilco Design in 2000. His international clients included Absolut Vodka, Coca-Cola, Dell, Royal Bank, Xerox and even today’s US President, Donald Trump. But even though his career was thriving in Toronto, Lam still kept strong ties to his Macao roots and participated in several Macao-based design competitions. In 1996, for example, he received Air Macau’s Corporate Identity Design Contest Gold Award. Then came a moment in Lam’s life where he felt the need to do something that would bring him a deeper level of happiness. In 2009, he decided to return to Macao and founded Macau Creations with his business partner. To bring local artists together and help them establish stores selling souvenirs focusing on Macao’s history. “I didn’t want to do design or advertising anymore. I understood that many artists don’t have much business know-how, and I wanted to be the middleman to help their great ideas become reality,” he enthuses. Macau Creations is now made up of 50 people, and has stores in the Taipa Cunha Bazaar, the Macau Tower and the Venetian Macao. The team of artists also offers branding and product design services. Not one to rest on his laurels, Lam says he’s happy, but still eager to learn new things. “Sure, there’s a lot I do know, but there are still so many more things to learn. I would love to learn more about business and new technology,” he concludes.  ]]> <![CDATA[Denis Murrell]]> Tue, 12 Sep 2017 12:00:43 +0800 Cathy Lai 13829 2021-02-02 16:11:15 2017-09-12 12:00:43 Local art enthusiasts can easily identify Denis Murrell’s unique work, which combines acrylic paints with ink and tissue paper. Residing in Macao since 1989, the Australia-born artist has won several local awards, including prizes from the Macau Biennial Art Exhibition and the Collective Exhibition of Macao Artists. ]]> “I was painting in my apartment one day in 1991 and I accidentally dropped some paints on the floor. I cleaned it up with a piece of toilet paper and I was surprised to find that the color actually looked great on it. I glued it onto my painting and then thought, I’d like to do more with that,” he says. Murrell’s first painting in his signature style now hangs in Macao Museum of Art. Time and again, he’s been asked why he used tissue paper instead of something else. His answer to this is always simple: “I just want to do the things other people don’t. I like to search for a new way to do something.” Murrell continues to paint while teaching painting part-time at the Institute for Tourism Studies. He became a member of Círculo dos Amigos da Cultura de Macau [The Friends Circle of Culture of Macau] in 1997, and through his connection with the association, has held many exhibitions, both in Macao and overseas. He has also noticed a transformation in his painting style during his time in Macao. “When I first arrived I started to paint in darker colours. I thought this way people wouldn’t notice any mistakes,” he smiles. “When it was time for the Macau Biennial Art Exhibition in 1995, I decided to change to a lighter color. It was an immediate success and I haven’t looked back since.” Having lived in Macao for almost 30 years, Murrell believes there are many reasons to love this city. “The food is magnificent and the people of Macao are very generous to me, especially when they find out I speak a little of their language. I think it’s part of their nature – they are always willing to help you, with no strings attached,” he enthuses.  ]]> <![CDATA[Joe Tang]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2017 15:33:43 +0800 Macao News 13420 2021-02-02 16:35:33 2017-07-26 15:33:43 Joe Tang is a prize-winning author from Macao. He also works at the Macao Cultural Affairs Bureau. ]]>