Camy Tam
An exhibition of hand-painted porcelain titled “Patterns of Life” by Macau-based Portuguese artist Arlinda Frota, organised by the Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC), is being held at the FRC Gallery.
The exhibition showcases 53 pieces of hand-painted porcelain by Frota such as plates, cups and teapots, small jewellery boxes, ashtrays and decorated platters, with shapes and shades revealing the artist’s multicultural influence, according to an article by the gallery.
Frota told The Macau Post Daily in an interview last week that she moved to Macau with her husband in 1996 and stayed until 2002 and then lived in Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea and back to Macau in 2012. Her husband is a retired Portuguese ambassador.
Frota said when she arrived in Macau she visited local places such as Lou Lim Ieoc Garden and the Mandarin House. She saw “ancient windows” which impressed her and led her to think about people in bygone times who enjoyed looking through the windows to see into the garden. Frota said she wanted to translate the ideas that she experienced in Macau and other Asian countries by displaying a painting named “Ancient Green Garden” at the entrance of the gallery, symbolising the start of her Asian journey.
Frota underlined that she has been deeply inspired by the mythical figures such as dragons which she described as the most charming imagery she found in Macau. She noted that the dragon represents the dignity of the Chinese emperor’s sacred symbol of imperial power. She also said that she was fond of the “astonishing” traditional dragon dance.
Frota said, “The exhibition’s title ‘Patterns of Life’ means everything inside me gets translated in my daily life that I have had for many years. My works are my imagination of the things I experienced from the world as I lived in different countries.”
Frota said she was inspired by the many things she witnessed in various Asian countries such as the brightness of the day, the culture of the people, and Nature. She said she let her inspirations come out through her artwork in order to share them with the public.
Frota said that the different influences she has been receiving in Asia have been very varied and unique, adding that she has merged her heart and soul with these elements in her artworks no matter where they are being displayed, as they are an integral part of her.
Frota told The Macau Post Daily that she has been regularly teaching “Porcelain Painting” courses at the Casa de Portugal community association in Macau since 2014. She pointed out she’s a physician by profession. As she’s a retiree, nowadays she is dedicating herself to artistic creation. She also said that she’s a member of several art associations in several countries, including the Sociedade de Belas Artes (SNBA) in Lisbon, where she has been displaying her artworks annually.
The exhibits are on sale priced between 800 patacas and 30,000 patacas.
The exhibition is being held until Friday at 749 Avenida da Praia Grande daily from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
As part of the government’s COVID-19 prevention measures, all visitors are required to wear a facemask, have their temperature checked and present their digital health code when entering the gallery.
For enquiries, call 2892 3288 or visit www.ruicunha.org.
Arlinda Frota poses with one of her works at the Rui Cunha Foundation Gallery last week.
Arlinda Frota works in the classroom at Casa de Portugal in Areia Preta last week. Photos: Camy Tam
