Interview by William Chan
Local art organisation Myland Culture and diverse art hub ASCE are hosting “SLOW DOWN PARTY”, a two-month public art event held at Galeries Lafayette Macau in Nam Van, local curator Pal Lok Chok (Lok) and Taiwan-based Macau artist Kawo a.k.a. Sushijojo (Kawo) told the Post at the venue last week.
The event includes exhibition, public art installation engagement, artist live painting, cross-disciplinary performances, and curated creative products pop up. The exhibitions run until the end of the month.
The concept of “slowing down” has been co-conceived by Lok and Kawo, hoping that through the art festival they can encourage Macau’s fast-paced city dwellers to pause for a moment. As they noted, only when the eyes take the time to observe can one truly appreciate art. Thus, the event aims to allow the audience to find their favourite “scenes” amidst the myriad of everyday things and take enough time to savour them.
Lok underlined that one of the exhibitions features Kawo’s solo showcase of paintings, animations, and sculptures. ASCE, also an art retailer, co-hosts the exhibition, and some of Kawo’s exhibits are on sale. Kawo pointed out that the overarching “slow down” theme is embodied in one of his sculpture series “Slow Down Kawo”, cozy and comfortable pieces, hoping that buyers would take home the same sense of ease.
On Sunday, Kawo and Japanese musician Akitsugu Fukushima (AKI) collaborated on a 3-hour live performance entitled “A SLOWER JAM - AKI’s Music Floating in KAWO’s Drawing Room” at Galeries Lafayette.
Kawo, who painted during AKI’s music performance, expressed the hope that the audience could feel the passing of time and let go of the tension of daily life during the performance. “We encourage visitors to sit down and relax, even engage in activities such as drawing, practising yoga, or knitting, to do something that helps them lose track of time passing,” he said.
On Saturday, Hong Kong artist OVERLANDDANCE and Kawo were at an interactive installation by Nam Van Lake, where they painted on the transparent canvas with their imagination, turning it into a public art installation. Lok said she hoped that the artwork integrates with the surrounding environment rather than just being a piece placed on the roadside.
Another part of the event is “POP UP: ARTISTS PICK FOR TIME TO SLOW DOWN”, where the curators have invited eight artists from across Asia, including Japan and Malaysia, to recommend creative art works that could help people relax, which are displayed and available for purchase at the ASCE store.
Lok and Kawo said they deliberately designed a diverse programme, as the art and business development in Macau has been thriving. On the one hand, the abundance of resources makes it easier to curate multifaceted works and, while on the other hand, the emergence of more such events requires creating more attractions to draw in visitors.
The exhibition at YOHO Treasure Island Resorts World Hotel next to Praça Ferreira do Amaral is free to enter and will be running daily until June 30.
For more information, visit: https://facebook.com/mylandculture
Curator Pal Lok Chok (left) and artist Kawo a.k.a. Sushijojo pose with their public installation art.
Different artworks are displayed at ASCE in Galeries Lafayette. – All photos provided by MyLand Culture
Kawo paints during AKI’s music performance on Sunday.
