By Ka Yee Chan
Have you been to Macau? Macau is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the People’s Republic of China. It is located on the western side of the Pearl River Delta across from Hong Kong. Other than its well-known casinos, it is also a former Portuguese colony. It has a rich combination of Chinese culture and Portuguese culture.
On April 23, the Macau Government Tourist Office hosted the opening reception for “Classic Macau: Artwork Inspired by Macau.” It is an exhibition featuring artwork influenced by Macau, China. It took place at the Wilkinson Gallery at New York Academy of Art and will be open till May 6, 2014.
The exhibition featured nearly 50 pieces of artwork inspired by Macau. The Macau Government Tourist Office hosted ten U.S. based artists to a four days trip in Macau during last December. The artists are composed of photographers, videographers, illustrators, and painters. During the four days, artists had the opportunity to explore throughout Macau, and bring their own view of Macau back to New York.
Artists:
Ken Carl, Chicago-based corporate, documentary and editorial photographer.
Wendy Connett, a photographer and journalist based in New York.
Steve Forster, from Boston, MA, educated at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy and the New York Academy of Art.
Devin Galaudet, a videographer and photographer based in Los Angeles. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of In The Know Traveler.
Mary Beth Kratsas has her own Studio, MBK Photography in Monroeville, PA. She is an award winning photographer and artist with over 25 years of experience behind the lens.
Sean Mattison, a Brooklyn-based filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist. He has works across Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
Guno Park, a Brooklyn-based artist who was originally from Seoul, Korea and grew up in Toronto, Canada. He graduated from the New York Academy of Art in 2011.
Andy Richter, a photographer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He works in documentary, non-profit and advertising photography.
Selma Fernandez Richter, a photographer originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, and currently based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Michael Wayne Smith, an artist based in New York. He graduated from the New York Academy of Art in 2006 and also attended the Art Institute of Boston.
With the great variety of artists, we are able to view Macau in different medias, such as in photographs, videos, paintings and sketches. It is very interesting to learn about Macau through the eyes of these artists. They covered Macau from the luxury casinos to traditional temples to the back street alley.
If you didn’t get a chance to go to Macau, you can definitely make it to the Wilkinson Gallery at New York Academy of Art to get a feel of Macau! Remember, the exhibition is open till May 6, 2014.
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