Local illustrator Coco Cheong Ut Man is using drawings to tackle the transformative journey of motherhood in an exhibition entitled “Brave & Beautiful: A Mother’s Journey”, which is also slated to include a book launch this Saturday.
Located in room B07 at 10 Fantasia gallery on Calçada da Igreja de S. Lázaro (瘋堂斜巷), the exhibition is one of five that are featured in this year’s Picture Book Festival, which is annually held by 10 Fantasia. Exhibitiongoers will find a series of eight drawings, all created using gouache*, digital enhancements using Procreate software and giclée**.
A statement displayed at the gallery notes some of the things that Cheong went through during her journey: “She worked through her pregnancy, was busy with her baby during maternity leave, and returned to work facing new challenges and pressures”, fighting for time and remembering happy moments in daily life to face her challenges.
Among the exhibits is also a piece that symbolises a mother who was once an infant, inviting exhibitiongoers and readers of her book to “reflect on how we were all once cared for and how our parents also faced struggles”, noting that each generation has its unique challenge to face.
The free-admission exhibition is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, except Mondays.
The 2025 Picture Book Festival
This year’s festival runs until October 3, with various activities scheduled to be held.
Aside from the five concurrent exhibitions, there will be a market that will take place this weekend and the next, with booths selling various picture books while offering workshops for parents and children to enjoy, according to the 10 Fantasia website.
Moreover, themed picture-book workshops are set to be held, with the sessions set for September 27. In all, the festival hopes to “strengthen communication among creators from different regions, elevate the level of local picture-book publishing, and foster a trend of parent-child reading”, the statement noted.
* A type of water-based paint that is similar to watercolour but is more opaque. - Poe
** In the context of art and printing, giclée refers to a high-quality printing process that uses inkjet technology to reproduce images with exceptional detail and colour accuracy. - Poe
– Photos: Rui Pastorin
