Macau artist Joein Leong Chou In’s wax sculptures accompanied by the work of sound artist Zen Lu are being showcased in an exhibition in Shenzhen that marks the second edition of MyLand Culture’s “MACAO&” series.
The “MACAO&” series made its debut* back in September in Lisbon, with the inaugural exhibition featuring photos taken by Macau’s Tang Kuok Ho and featuring the kinaesthetic audio** scores of Lisbon dancer, educator and researcher Inês Zinho Pinheiro.
The latest cross-disciplinary dual showcase is entitled “MACAO&Series: Shenzhen & Macao 2026 - Before the Candle’s Crackle Fades” and is this time set up at the ecooL Space in Nanhai E-Cool on Shenzhen’s Xingquan 4th Road, Nanshan District. It kicked off its run last Wednesday, with the showcase taking place through November 15 before making its way to another core city within the Greater Bay Area*** (GBA): Macau, with that edition opening on December 2.
The event is organised by the Macau-based MyLand Culture, a non-profit art organisation set up in 2013, in conjunction with the Macao New Media Arts Association. Curation is meanwhile done by MyLand Culture’s founder Pal Lok Chok and Macau curator Kathine Cheong Weng Lam.
The showcase uses its exhibits to explore the human condition, which are presented through a combination of seven wax sculptures crafted by Leong and the seven soundscapes created by Lu.
Highlighting the exhibition’s title, a recent statement by the organisers noted that it refers to “a state of continual approach, a condition that is constantly approaching, irreplaceable by others, and impossible to experience in advance”.
Regarding the exhibits, the statement said that Leong mainly utilised wax in creating the sculptures, noting that it is a material that carries traces of organic matter, time, and temperature.
Inspired by the wrought-iron balcony grilles of Macau homes, the statement said that Leong’s wax sculptures use these structural lines to represent both spatial boundaries and life-sustaining blood vessels. By weaving together themes of female ovulation, the passage of time, tenement architecture, and delayed heartbreak, the artist transforms intangible concepts of temporal decay and death into physical, twisted wax forms, the statement noted.
Lu, who the statement said is a key figure in Shenzhen’s music and sound art scene, meanwhile composed dedicated sound parts for each of Leong’s sculptures, each coming together and interacting at the venue, while connecting with the central theme of the artworks.
“Standing in the exhibition space, all seven sound layers weave together – wrapping listeners in a blend of joy, melancholy, nostalgia, and acceptance, releasing the latent emotions and philosophical reflections beneath the silent forms into the air”, the statement pointed out.
Altogether, visitors are guided to “to confront the irreversible boundaries of existence and experience the weight of “being toward death” through audio-visual resonance”.
Exhibitiongoers in Shenzhen may visit the exhibition from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily.
For locals eager to view the works, the Macau stop of the exhibition will be open from December 2 to December 20, with the venue to be located on Rua De S. Roque. During the period, it will be open from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m.
Aside from the exhibition, the Macau event will also include a workshop and panel talk.
*Read more in a Post interview on: https://www.macaupostdaily.com/news/29464
**Kinaesthetic audio (or kinetic audio) refers to audio design or media that translates sound into physical sensation, spatial movement, or interactive body action. - Gemini
***The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area comprises two special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macao) and nine cities in Guangdong Province – Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing Zhongshan, and Zhuhai (collectively aka “9+2”).
Macau artist Joein Leong Chou In (seated, right) and Zen Lu (seated, left) pose with curators Pal Lok Chok (standing, left) and Kathin Cheong Weng Lam (standing, right) at the recently opened exhibition Before the Candle’s Crackle Fades in Shenzhen. – Photos provided by MyLand Culture.
