Interview by Rui Pastorin
As guests walk up to The Venetian Macao Cotai, they’ll be greeted with characters and elements from the widely popular children’s programme Sesame Street, each presented with a unique twist for “Dopamine: Fountain of Happiness”, a Special Exhibition in this year’s Art Macao.
From Big Bird and Elmo to Bert and Ernie, nine outstanding artists from Asia, Europe and the US each gave their unique spin on the different characters, using their art styles, elements from Roman mythology and dopamine art to produce public installations aimed at bringing happiness to viewers. Three of the artists, Craig & Karl, Bibi Lei and GRAFFLEX spoke with the Post in an interview on Monday to give insights into their Macau-exclusive pieces.
Bringing a sense of joy
Craig & Karl are a renowned art duo composed of Australians Craig Redman, who is based in London, and New York-based Karl Maier, who have been working together for over 20 years. Having showcased their works in different parts of the world, the artists brought their signature style to Macau to showcase a number of installations.
Among them are “Hi”, an inflatable featuring the characters Bert and Ernie; the large-scale “ART FOR MACAO”; and “Neo Deus”, which is inspired by Sesame Street’s Two Headed Monster. This particular character is who they connected with the most and also represents the artistic duo’s relationship, Redman said, with their version also referencing Dioscuri, twin deities in Roman mythology that represent duality and brotherhood, among others. Maier added that their take also conveys a message related to happiness and joy.
Set up inside and outside the integrated resort, each installation relates to The Venetian Macao’s architecture, Roman mythology and Macau itself, attempting to create something new and transformative, Maier pointed out, adding that part of what they did is create the whole scene for the different installations and “inject” the exhibition’s ideas into the integrated resort as a whole.
In describing their art style, Redman noted that their works feature pop elements, while three key factors that are prominent: colourful, patterns, and optimism. “We make joy and happiness through the use of colour and patterns and how we combine those elements together”, Redman said.
“It was a very good fit for us”, said Maier, using their palette and the creative opportunities, finding connections at various points and wanting to create positive additions.
The ultimate goal of all of their works, Redman said, is always to create “a sense of joy” for people coming to see their public artworks, being a way to shift moods. “Maybe you’re not feeling great when you’re out on your way to work and you encounter our work and it shifts your mood a little bit, makes you a little happier, a little brighter. So, we’re always really intentionally trying to do that in our work. And that’s what makes it fun for us”.
Homecoming
Macanese artist Bibi Lei, who is based in Tokyo, is excited to have her works showcased in Macau, her hometown.
As an artist, Lei has various achievements, including being the first and youngest Macau-born artist to have an auction record at Sotheby’s, one of the world’s largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. As the only female artist showcasing her works in this exhibition, she wants to represent and empower women. And her sculpture, “The Arrow Of Pure Heart”, also helps to convey that.
The sculpture brings together Sesame Street’s “Abby Cadabby” and the artist’s own character “BibiFa”, which is described as a “little fairy from the East” to form a new interpretation of Cupid, the Roman god of love. And the work has a lot of deep thought and meanings behind its cute and colourful exterior.
Lei explained that her character, whose name is derived from the word “Brave” and her own name mixed with the Chinese word for flower “fa (花)”, embodying her creative energy while also representing the power of women. And in creating her exhibit, she puts each character’s different stories together and represents love (Abby) and courage (BibiFa), showing an encounter of two young girls of the East and West.
The work also represents the bravery and beauty of women as the characters hug each other while using a bow to shoot a lollipop-tipped arrow not to attack, but to heal. Together, it shows how love and courage can heal the world. Moreover, Lei said that with the inclusion of her own character, she aimed not to make additions to Abby. Instead, it’s a collaboration between the two, stating the importance of every girl having their own character.
During the exhibition’s run, the artist hopes to invite women such as mums and their families to enjoy her work, as well as represent women in a mainly male-dominated field. Moreover, she hopes they can feel a form of “abstract healing”.
My good friend Bert
South Korea’s GRAFFLEX had a very good friend of his in mind when he created his installation, “GOD OF MUSIC”.
“My works are based on street culture and graffiti”, GRAFFLEX said, being known for his paintings, public art and art toys, and has worked with various brands and IPs. He visited Macau 15 years ago to see the city and coming back for an exhibition for the first time made him feel very happy and excited to share his work.
Taking the character Bert, who the artist said looks like his good friend, he reimagined him as Apollo, who, among other things, was the Roman god of music. The resulting work sees Bert carrying a boombox, with half of the character’s face mixed with GRAFFLEX’s original character that sports a smiley face, which is something that represents a happy moment in the artist’s career. Putting it all together, he not only created something new, but “extremely joyful”.
He hopes people coming to see his work will “just enjoy” and perhaps even be part of helping them forget some of the difficulties they are facing in life. Moreover, he highlighted that these days, many people may just simply take photos and post on social media platforms about their experiences rather than enjoying the moment. He hopes people coming to see his work will do more than that, coming to enjoy and be present while hoping that his work could help with bringing them happiness.
The works for “Dopamine: Fountain of Happiness” are on display until October 15.
Craig & Karl pose for a photo with their installation “Neo Deus”. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
Local artist Bibi Lei looks at her piece The Arrow Of Pure Heart
South Korea artist GRAFFLEX smiles for the camera beside his installation “GOD OF MUSIC”.
