The Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC) gallery was yesterday packed with guests and attendees at the launch of local artist and curator Julia Lam Tsz Kwan’s 3rd solo exhibition entitled “Superflat”, which will be on display until November 9.
The exhibition features 10 works, each recently created and featuring buildings like the erstwhile Hotel Estoril, the Red Market and the Old Courthouse that might be overlooked or overshadowed in Macau, and are named for the year the buildings were completed, according to yesterday’s MCs. They added that Lam hopes to draw the public’s attention to these landmarks’ historical significance.
Aspects like the buildings’ essential structures and proportions, the MCs remarked, are converted into colours, lines and shapes to create vibrant “superflat” artworks.
The “superflat” concept and postmodern art movement was introduced by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami in 2000, who, according to an FRC statement, critiqued Japanese consumer culture through flattened forms.
In creating her works, a statement on the FRC website noted, Lam transforms the layering technique of watercolours into spray paint overlap on handmade plates, and also uses spraying, splattering, printing, stamping techniques, along with texture embellishments.
Moreover, the works show the artist’s self-exploration in recent years and is a summary of her artistic transformation, the statement added.
“My creations are deeply rooted in urban contexts. Initially, my watercolours explored hidden forms of customs and festivals, capturing the humanistic essence of the city through imagery”, Lam, a disciple of renowned local watercolour artist Lai Ieng, said in her speech at yesterday’s opening ceremony.
She added: “In response to the global [COVID-19] pandemic, I have shifted my focus on the profound transformation of our visible urban landscape, and I hope my work could invite you to reflect the emotion and the deeper meaning of our existence within this landscape”.
Lam graduated from the Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design in Beijing. Her previous two solo exhibitions are “Youhua – Julia Lam Tsz Kwan Solo Exhibition” in 2009, themed travelling around the world, and the 2017 Macanese food-themed “COMA – Julia Lam Solo Exhibition”. She has also taken part in both international and domestic art exhibitions.
The gallery is open from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is free.
Artist and curator Julia Lam Tsz Kwan signs an information card about her current exhibition “Superflat” at the Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC) gallery yesterday. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
