The latest and final edition of award-winning Portuguese photojournalist and documentary photographer Gonçalo Lobo Pinheiro’s book “O que foi, não volta a ser…” , or “What Once Was, Will Never Be Again…” in English, launched last night at the Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC) gallery along with an exhibition featuring some of the photos from the book.
Featuring images of old Macau that are on loan, acquired online, through auctions or from private owners, in local shops and even from Portugal, blended with the city in its modern day, the second volume of Lobo Pinheiro’s features 40 images in close to 80 pages. Altogether, it shows an encounter between the past and the present, all the while presenting just how much the city has changed over time.
The exhibition that was concurrently launched yesterday features 20 of the images from the book that members of the public can admire until January 10.
On the project, a statement by the Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC) yesterday quoted Lobo Pinheiro as saying: “Macau has changed a lot in recent years. The old photographs show this clearly. And now, what to do with them? On the one hand, it is still possible to recreate some settings; on the other hand, it is impossible to find points of contact in other photographs, because things simply no longer exist in the territory. It is a difficult task. Everything has changed. That is why, in the vast majority of cases, what once was will never be again”
Priced at 250 patacas, the book can be bought online through www.goncalolobopinheiro.com and is also available in some bookshops. The total amount raised from the sale of books and photographs, according to the FRC statement, will be donated to the Hong Kong branch of ‘Habitat for Humanity’ to support the victims of the deadly Tai Po Wang Fuk Court inferno.
The blaze, which happened on November 26, has claimed the lives of 160 people.
Prior to the book’s launch yesterday, the Post spoke with Lobo Pinheiro about the project and some insight on the work that went into it. Stay tuned for the interview and more photos of the exhibition in an upcoming page 4.
A copy of “What Once Was, Will Never Be Again…” Vol. 2 is signed by the author during last night’s launch at the Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC) gallery.
Exhibitiongoers view the photos on display at the gallery. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
