Hermione Chan, Vivian Lam and Camy Tam
An exhibition entitled “Creative City Pavilion (創意城巿館): Macau, the City of Gastronomy – Bon Appétit!” (澳門：美食之都－起筷), which is a part of the ongoing Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021 event is being held at the Macau Contemporary Art Centre – Navy Yard No. 1.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) in conjunction with the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO).
According to a statement by the bureau, the exhibition features 15 works from 16 artists, including Carlos Marreiros (馬若龍) and Konstantin Bessmertny (君士坦丁), who each explore the interplay of “food” in relation to society and history in their own unique way and offer spectators a visual feast not to be missed.
Taking gastronomy as the theme, the participating artists from around the globe explore the relationship between gastronomy, local history and culture in their own approaches. The works exhibited hold remarkable value in the diverse context of Macau, the statement says, adding that the artists aim to convert culinary histories and visual elements into works of art, highlighting the prominence of food in the formation of humanity. The statement underlines that Macau was designated as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017. The exhibition’s curator is local poet and translator Yao Feng.
One of the installations displayed at the exhibition, titled “Sacrifice” (豕首) by David Fank, features two pigs’ severed heads created by 3D printed plastic, paper and foil. According to the artwork’s description displayed at the exhibition, several English idioms related to pigs often have negative connotations, which surprised him, who assumed the pig was an auspicious symbol of sacrifice. Fank was subsequently led to explore the matter further without judgement, the unsigned description notes.
In addition, the award-winning letters of a romantic composition contest are also displayed at the exhibition.
The exhibition is on display until October 3 at the Macau Contemporary Art Centre - Navy Yard No.1 in Rua de S. Tiago da Barra. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Admission is free. For more information, visit the website https://www.artmacao.mo/2021/eng.
Due to this week’s local case of a COVID-19 Delta variant family cluster, the venue has been temporarily closed. For enquiries, email creativecity_artmacao@icm.gov.mo or call 8988 4000.
Photos: Camy Tam
