“Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021” was inaugurated at the Macao Museum of Art (MAM) on July 15, 2021. With a theme on the “Advance and retreat of globalization”, the Main Exhibition is curated by Qiu Zhijie who serves as the Chief Curator of the Biennale and it is divided into three chapters: “The Dream of Mazu”, “Matteo Ricci’s Labyrinth of Memory” and “Advance and Retreat of Globalization”, providing a space for reflection and discussion on globalization and individuality, life and dreams, being remote and proximity, security and happiness, among others. Over 100 artworks by more than 40 artists from China and 20 foreign countries were invited to participate. With a point of convergence as the unique cultural essence originating from various creative cities, as well as the prominent outdoor artistic installations, Macao once again becomes a great garden filled with artistic creativity.

Three participators in the Main Exhibition: Gao Hong, Lyu(Lv) Pinchang and Liu Qinghe were specially invited by CAFA ART INFO to share with us their creations and thinking on themes such as the relations between the world and individuals, traditions, cultural origins and globalization as well as the presentation of Art Macao.

Exhibition View of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”

Gao Hong, Director of the Fine Arts Education Committee of China Artists Association, Director of the National Aesthetic Education Teaching Steering Committee of Colleges and Universities, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

CAFA ART INFO: In the Main Exhibition themed on the “Advance and retreat of globalization” in this “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”, we have seen your series of paintings that record major events that took place across the world in 2020, which include circuit breakers, protests, elections, online classes, street stalls, live streaming, explosions, and so on. Among the general environment in 2020, would you share the background or ideas you had on these themes?

Exhibition View of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”

Gao Hong: 2020 was indeed a particularly unusual year as so many unexpected things and events took place that have exerted a great impact on our lives, but there were also many things that triggered our new thinking. Since I work in a visual atmosphere at Central Academy of Fine Arts, I especially intend to use paintbrushes to record this unusual year. Then there are diversified perspectives to record this year, and these have attracted my special attention and aroused my thinking, which are also hot topics discussed by people from all walks of life and themes that we can express by artistic means.

For example, in the first half of 2020, there were three circuit breakers in the entire economic field. Warren Buffett who is known as the “Oracle of Omaha” said that he had never seen a circuit breaker before last year. Behind these there was actually a major change that happened in the entire economic and financial market across the world which triggered conflicts in the fields of economy and politics, including some cultural, regional and international collisions, fights for energy and other issues. And it was these things, including the subsequent global pandemic, which intricately triggered the shock of the New York Stock Exchange in the United States.

Gao Hong, “A Circuit Breaker in Stock Market”, 120×90cm, oil on canvas, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.

Gao Hong, “A Circuit Breaker in Stock Market”(details), 120×90cm, oil on canvas, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.

“A Circuit Breaker in Stock Market”, is actually the first in my series. Among all the characters in the image, there is an emoji-like New York trader who is very attractive to me. Meanwhile, he is also the subject of attention from photojournalists and the news media. Through recording his expression, some changes in the stock market can be reflected and this is exactly what I want to express. “Circuit Breaker” is a phrase that we have rarely heard in the past, but it has become a buzz word at the beginning of 2020. This also reflects the changes in the entire international economy, especially the financial market, from a certain perspective. The three major stock market indexes in New York actually constitutes a barometer. The world economy is currently in recession and it experiences a weak recovery now. Especially when confronted with the pandemic, it actually puts forward a question for the world and mankind, that is, how can the economy completely recover from these.

CAFA ART INFO: You have also recorded a series of major events since “A Circuit Breaker in Stock Market.” In fact, 2020 was a major event in itself. Can you share with us the creative background of other works?

Gao Hong: I drew eight events of this kind. The titles of these eight events are preceded by “2020—”. “A Circuit Breaker in Stock Market” should be called “2020—A Circuit Breaker in Stock Market.” The second in this series is called “2020—Protest”. In May 2020, due to the violent law enforcement of the white American policemen, George Floyd who was a African American was pinned to the floor with a white police officer kneeling on his neck for 8 minutes, which resulted in his death. This triggered a wave of protests throughout the United States, and even later throughout Europe, which evolved into a campaign of “Black Lives Matter.” I drew them carrying Floyd’s portrait to the street to protest, and the scene where people of all races participated in which reflected the waves of demands for racial equality.

Gao Hong, “Protest”, 140×100cm, oil on canvas, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.

This movement actually reflects the long-term accumulation of racial issues in American society. Although the United States flaunts the nation as a beacon of human rights, a racial inequality actually exists. This year, Asian Americans started to protest as they have frequently been robbed, attacked and even more seriously injured, which shows that social conflicts have intensified, and some historical behaviours such as white supremacy are still deeply rooted. In the United States, ethnic minorities are still in an unequal position, which also reflects how a racial or historical issue should be taken seriously today. From this image, I want to present it completely, and of course I must highlight the key points. I hope to represent a record of a historical moment, behind which is a major historical event rather than placing the characters in a specific position as we used to call thematic creations.

Gao Hong, “The General Election”, 150×110cm, oil on canvas, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.Gao Hong, “Explosion”, 120×100cm, oil on canvas, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.

Gao Hong: The next few paintings are centered around domestic events. For example, I choose the night market stall as a theme and its performance is different from the past stalls. Its background is of high-rise buildings in a modern city with everyone wearing masks and each person has their favorite snacks, through which I hope to reflect China’s economic recovery from a certain perspective. Due to the prevention and control of the domestic epidemic, many markets were empty and self-employed stalls found it difficult to survive; at the same time, the urban management banned random placement to keep the city clean and tidy. Along with the efficient control of the pandemic, the restoration of economic activities became necessary. The government was also very anxious about this, thus Premier Li Keqiang found this situation when he went to the local area to investigate. Later, a message from the government announced that there should be a little stall economy, which made the small business like stalls have their market. “Street stalls” are just a manifestation of such an event and it actually reflects the people’s demand for ordinary life, which is a vitality of China’s economy. Of course, the rise of live commerce selling goods has also become an important form of poverty alleviation.

Gao Hong, “Street Stalls”, 120×100cm, oil on canvas, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.Gao Hong, “Live Commerce”, 120×100cm, oil on canvas, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.

CAFA ART INFO: “An Online Class” is closely related to us. From your image, the rise of online classes under the pandemic situation does not only reflect new teaching ideas and methods, but it also reflects the importance that Chinese families attach to children’s education.

Gao Hong: When I painted “An Online Class,” CAFA had to conduct online classes. Our teachers were so conscientious that they had combined course work with the materials they had accumulated for many years, and the students also gained a lot. It can be said that the online classes have opened up a new world for our education and teaching. In the process of online teaching, students were very concentrated, unlike the previous state when they used to draw by hand and asked questions when they had problems. There were interactions after the classes, so there were advantages for online classes. In this case, online classes in China’s primary and secondary schools have become a normal state of education. I selected an adult and child in a family and placed them in one place to present the image. In fact, the space in my painting was not the real physical space, but what I imagined: there was a curtain in the middle, the child sat on the desk, and the mother sat at a low table, in a comparatively far and near distance, you can feel that Chinese put children in a very important position, showing a scene that Chinese families care for children.

Gao Hong, “An Online Class”, 120×100cm, oil on canvas, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.

Gao Hong: Generally speaking, I hope to reflect the major changes in the entire society and the world through my vision. Major adjustments from the perspective of economy, finance, politics, social issues, democratic system, the information age, and how the economy develops are all manifested.

CAFA ART INFO: The pandemic of COVID-19 in 2020 brought great impact and changes to the world and everyone. This Biennale also starts from this perspective. During and after the pandemic, what was your state of creation, work and life? What have you thought of them?

Gao Hong: This series of creative experience made me think that artists sometimes should pay more attention to current affairs, politics, some international situations, and some things that have nothing to do with art. Are these useful to artists? I try to answer this question, actually artists live in a real world and they inevitably encounter all kinds of events and contradictions. Thus they must use their own methods to express them, record them, or convey their own thinking. These things are inevitable to have a relationship with society, so in paying attention to these things is very helpful in art creations.

Gao Hong, “Nucleic Acid Test”, 120×100cm, oil on canvas, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.

Gao Hong: Xu Bing said that artistic creations were not just about art itself. This point after an artist reacts to society may be a point of innovation or expression, so he advocates paying attention to some things in reality. I think our artists should pay attention to social developments, some changes in the world, and people’s emotions, so that there may be many new creations. The forms of art actually show this, including some innovations in contemporary art. They are not newly created for new forms, but because I wanted to express my thoughts and emotions and I chose this form, method or innovative way. This is also the thinking and inspiration I had from creations.

Lyu(Lv) Pinchang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice President of Jingdezhen Ceramic University (in charge of administrative work), professor and doctoral supervisor of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

CAFA ART INFO: In this Macao Biennale, your “Jade” series, “Tied Body” series and “Golden Brick” series are included in “The Dream of Mazu” of Main exhibition. We know that these series are closely related to Chinese classical culture in terms of material selection and connotation, and your work interprets the situation of confrontation, entanglement and games from different perspectives. How do you understand “Advance and retreat of globalization” and the mutual interpretation between the section “The Dream of Mazu” and your work?

Exhibition View of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”

Lyu Pinchang: Tradition is the dialectical unity of stability and variability, and it conveys the continuity of certain forms that culture presents over the course of time. “Conservation” and “reform” constitute two contradictory and mutually integrated factors contained in this continuity. The former makes culture a continuous and stable existence, while the latter makes it possible for culture to innovate and develop. I agree with this view of cultural traditions, and in the Chinese cultural traditions, I feel it is the inherent tension that promotes continuous evolution and everlasting continuity. My creative ideas are born out of the big framework of Chinese culture. The existing regulations, vocabulary, procedures, and techniques of the artistic tradition show the stable existence of the continuity in Chinese culture, while the vast historical works with distinctively epochal characteristics reflect the continuous innovation and development of Chinese culture. Therefore, true artistic freedom is not based on arbitrariness, but it embodies the creation or individuality manifested in the relationship structure of tradition and innovation, adherence and breakthrough, compliance and transcendence.

For more than 30 years, I have been committed to the exploration of language purification, striving for the implication of formal factors and the nationalization of formal interest. In my opinion, everything has both pros and cons. Once it reaches its extreme state, it will move towards another direction. The combination or conflict of these two forces is very important in my art. In other words, I regard this tense game as the basic motif and structural framework of artistic expression. I pay attention to the materials that exist in real life. I look for, discover or perceive the tension of this pursuit at any time, and try to formalize it.

Lyu Pinchang, “Jade No.2, No.3, No.4”, corundum ceramics, 73×74×15cm×3, 2017. Image courtesy of the artist.Lyu Pinchang, “Tied Body No.15”, corundum ceramics, 68×43×24cm×2, 2016. Image courtesy of the artist. 

Lyu Pinchang: Globalization is a pluralistic concept with an economic core, including politics, cultures, technology, ideology, lifestyles and values from different countries and regions. There are both constraints and conflicts, as well as collisions and integration. Macao is a unique region where Chinese and Western cultures merge. “The Dream of Mazu” shows that Mazu culture faces the general trends of globalization and it focuses on returning to the cultural origin while highlighting regionality and absorbing the world’s attention. They constitute the exploration method and win-win path of cultural identity.

My work “Golden Brick” and “Tied Body” interpret the situation of confrontation, entanglement and conflicts from the perspective of art. There are pressures and constraints, which can further stimulate and show a form of vitality. The binding way  demonstrates and strengthens the volume and sculptural sense of the form, which is caused by the tension of the conflicting form.

Lyu Pinchang, “Golden Brick No.2”, corundum ceramics, 45×45×10cm×9, 2016. Image courtesy of the artist.

CAFA ART INFO: What is your impression of Macao as a city and its cultural history? How is your work presented at a biennale in Macao different from your previous exhibition experience?

Lyu Pinchang: I have visited Macao many times. From 2013 to 2015, due to the cooperation project between the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Macao Polytechnic Institute, many academic exchanges were conducted. In 2018, commissioned by the Ministry of Education, I completed the large-scale iconic sculpture “Jade of Liberal Arts” presented to the University of Macao. Due to the unique geographical location and historical background of Macao, its culture has profound Chinese traditional connotations, and at the same time it is a region colonized by the West. Therefore, it also has the characteristics of the parallelism between Chinese and Western cultures and the integration of multiple cultures. Macao’s commercial tourism culture is quite prosperous and developed, but the development of contemporary culture and contemporary art still lags behind.

“Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021” ushered in a new chapter in Macao’s contemporary art. It is a brand new experience for both the city of Macao and the participating artists. Unfortunately, I did not visit the exhibition site in person. I hope that the exhibition will continue and expand its influence as an academic brand of contemporary culture.

CAFA ART INFO: The pandemic in 2020 has brought great impact and changes to the world and everyone. This Biennale also takes this as an entry point. During and after the pandemic, what was your state of creation, work and life?

Exhibition View of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”

Lyu Pinchang: There is no doubt that the pandemic of COVID-19 has already had a huge impact on global economic, political and cultural exchanges, including the impact on everyone. In the context of the increasingly threatening pandemic situation in various countries around the world, the capacity and control of each country and everyone is a great challenge. The Biennale takes this opportunity to explore the regional and international exchanges of culture and art in the pandemic era. For each individual artist, the pandemic seems to have prevented more exchanges among artists, but from another perspective, it has provided artists with an opportunity, allowing us to be free from the exhausting social activities. Correspondingly we can feel liberated and settle down to really think about art issues, and accumulate more energy.

In the past two years with the threat of the pandemic, I led the creation team of the Sculpture Department of Central Academy of Fine Arts in an extremely difficult and closed environment to finish the large-scale themed sculpture “Faith” for the Chinese Communist Party History Museum. The work inherited the excellent realist sculpture tradition of Central Academy of Fine Arts and it presented a magnificent work of figurative sculpture in the new era. In a way, the pandemic has allowed our team to devote more energy and time to the creation of works and to explore more profound academic issues.

Liu Qinghe, Dean, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor, School of Chinese Painting, Central Academy of Fine Arts.

CAFA ART INFO: Your work “Make-up” was presented in this Biennale, which was included in “Advance and Retreat of Globalization.” The arrival of the pandemic and the various countermeasures taken by mankind have had a huge impact on the grand proposition of “globalization” that has been discussed countless times. How do you understand this proposition in this exhibition? How does it intervene and interpret your creation and thinking?

Exhibition View of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”

Liu Qinghe: Indeed, we are gradually changing our perspective when paying attention to the outside world, sometimes in a passive way. From caring about food and clothing to paying attention to the problems faced by mankind, it seems that our vision has broadened a lot. This is not about how much progress we have made, but a helplessness that we feel more and more burdened to move forward with. When the pandemic quietly approaches you, you might realize your vulnerability. My exhibited work is similar to this theme, and it was based on years of thinking, I intend to express my concerns, which would exceed the technical grasp of the artistic expression itself.

CAFA ART INFO: Your “Make-up” was exhibited for the first time in a solo exhibition at Wuhan United Art Museum, where the rendered harsh atmosphere of reality was impressive. This time, this work was presented again at “Macao International Art Biennale 2021” in Macao, a city with a unique cultural identity and historical memory. What is different in your experience?

Liu Qinghe, “Make-up”, bast paper, ink, mineral pigments, 800×100 cm, 2018. Image courtesy of the artist.Liu Qinghe, “Make-up”, bast paper, ink, mineral pigments, 195×170 cm, 2018. Image courtesy of the artist.Liu Qinghe, “Make-up”, bast paper, ink, mineral pigments, 100×330cm, 2018. Image courtesy of the artist.

Liu Qinghe: Although the work was exhibited for the first time in Wuhan United Art Museum in 2018, the idea actually took “shape” as early as 2013. That was an indescribable feeling was gradually formed on the basis of the large-scale ink painting “Xin Fa Di.” This is a work that can be called ink and wash, but it is difficult to define the form of ink and wash. It is more about creating an atmosphere that reveals the embarrassment of people’s role in the society. In the process of creating this work, I have already felt that a life in front of me was so magical, whether it was positive or negative, familiar or strange, an invisible force was always twisting in my heart, and the neglected repression lived alone in the corner among the common mainstream.

What will the future look like, none of us can predict, though this feeling has never been as strong as it is today. To measure the world by the length of a person’s life can only be a paragraph. Only when we realize this can we have a humble heart. How do we integrate into society, how to face the natural environment, how to treat history objectively, and realize that these are the qualities that a person should have.

Liu Qinghe, “Make-up”, bast paper, ink, mineral pigments, 160×180cm, 2018. Image courtesy of the artist.

CAFA ART INFO: The pandemic in 2020 brought great impact and changes to the world and everyone. This biennale also starts from this. During and after the pandemic, what was your state of creation, work and life?

Liu Qinghe: Indeed, since 2020, the pandemic has brought a tremendous impact and changes to each of us. We have faced the ubiquitous pressure brought about by disasters, which is a test for each of us. I think my creation will not obviously portray the images of several anti-pandemic heroes. Respecting people, respecting nature, and respecting the heart of oneself are the prerequisites for my artistic expression.

Exhibition View of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”

Edited and translated by CAFA ART INFO

Image Courtesy of the Organizer and Artists