The Lush Valley Creative Space (LVCS) held an opening ceremony yesterday for an exhibition at the Heartland Artists Gallery, aiming to build a platform for the exchange of lacquer art between Guangdong and Macau.
According to an LVCS statement released during the ceremony, the exhibition - located on Travessa dos Poços (大井巷) and titled “15 Years of Splendour, Lacquer Mirrors Macao” - also celebrates LVCS’s 15th anniversary and the 27th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR).
Speaking to the Post on the sidelines of the event, the exhibition’s curator and President of LVCS, Lei Fong Ieng, said she first encountered lacquer painting - an art form with a history of seven to eight thousand years - while attending an advanced training course in lacquer painting on the mainland during the pandemic.
She noted that lacquer painting combines characteristics of both mosaic and oil painting, adding that its production process is highly intricate, with a single work taking up to half a year to complete. However, the sense of satisfaction upon completion is immense, and the works can be preserved for a very long time, she said. Coinciding with the 15th anniversary of LVCS, she invited a master lacquer painter from the Chinese mainland to Macau for an exchange, hoping first to introduce more people to lacquer painting and then gradually promote it within the local community, she said.
Lei added that lacquer painting is both ancient and contemporary, and that it complements Macau’s rustic, historic elements. She plans to create and teach works themed around Macau in the future.
According to the statement, the exhibition runs until December 13 and is open to the public free of charge across two venues - Heartland Artists Gallery and Lush Valley Creative Space on Calçada da Igreja de S. Lázaro (瘋堂斜巷). It is open daily from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., except Mondays and public holidays.
Lacquer art, according to DeepSeek, is the art of decorating objects with lacquer-a natural, resinous substance (usually sap from the lacquer tree, Toxicodendron vernicifluum) applied in thin layers to wood, bamboo, metal, or other materials to create a hard, glossy, durable, and often waterproof surface.
Lush Valley Creative Space (LVCS) President Lei Fong Ieng (fourth from left) poses with representatives and guests for a group photo during yesterday’s opening ceremony at Heartland Artists Gallery on Travessa dos Poços. – Photo: Armindo Neves
