Interview by Rui Pastorin
An exhibition titled “Rainbow In Disguise” by Tchusca Songo is being held at the Creative Macau gallery on the ground floor of the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM), with the Angolan artist telling The Macau Post Daily during last week’s opening ceremony about her creative process and what she hopes to achieve through her works and exhibitions.
Born in Cabinda in 1978, Songo noted that she came from a “very poor family” and started making her own things from a young age. She came to Macau in 2006, noting that she was “in shock” after seeing some of the trash in the city.
Compared to Angola, she said, “it’s not fancy trash like we have in Macau” such as toys bought nowadays that are not even kept for 24 hours, TVs and washing machines that have been thrown out on the street, and plastic beach toys simply abandoned at Hac Sa beach, which she underlined is her main concern, prompting her to do something about it.
At 6 a.m. from Monday to Friday, just before going to work, Songo goes to Hac Sa beach to start collecting rubbish, which she washes, separates and then creates art out of it. At weekends, she takes a backpack and spends more time on the task, taking short rests until she takes home what she can. If what she has collected can’t be taken home the same day, she goes back to collect it the following day.
From the materials collected from Hac Sa, the works she has created are made from plastic, cigarette lighters, tree trunks, driftwood, bottles, shoes and beach toys left by members of the public, among others, according to a recent Creative Macau statement.
The works represent the goal of encouraging “Reuse, Recycle and Reduce”, which Songo said in the statement are “three actions that are still a very obscure subject in Macau”.
Songo pointed out that “the idea is not to make money” from the works, but to “inspire kids” as her hopes are on the children.
Songo noted that she has held various exhibitions, including one at The Venetian Macao. She has also had a recent exhibition at The International School of Macao (TIS), where she also works. The exhibition was a “good way” to show students what’s going on, she said.
“For now, I don’t want to stop here”, adding that she hopes to take her artworks to other local schools and talk to more kids, as well as raise awareness among them.
The exhibition runs through July 15. The gallery is open from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily except for Sundays and public holidays. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.creativemacau.org
Angolan artist Tchusca Songo poses in front of two of her artworks after her exhibition’s opening ceremony at the Creative Macau gallery last week.
Photos taken last week by Rui Pastorin
