Art Exhibition: From Loppiano to Macau

Some of the original sculptures included in the display at the Macao Exhibit are “Silk Road Symphony,” “Promised Land,” “Brother Sun, Sister Moon,” and “Matteo Ricci.”. They are the fruit of the personal expriences of Lau Kwok-Hung, in Hung art. Born in Hong Kong in 1953, the artist has been living in the international town of Loppiano since 2000 where he works at his studio and draws inspiration from the spirituality of unity. Instead of the traditional scalpel, Hung uses an oxy-acetylene flame at 3000 ° C. Drop by drop: that’s how Hung creates his sculptures, which seem to mimic Chinese calligraphic brush strokes, but a closer look reveals a tangle of rebar forming human figures in motion.     

Each of the works on display in Macau has that andante quality which is the title of the exhibit. A term that plunges us onto  a musical landscape where there is metre and rhythm, but also an outgoing movement, the discovery of the other. We met up with Hung on his return from Asia.

How did this rather extraordinary experience of your solo exhibition in China come about?“In February of this year, I was in Macau. I was invited to the Seat of the Government by Madam Florinda Chan (Secretária para Administração and Justiça), to meet the leaders of the Instituto para os Assuntos Cívicos and Municipais. At the end of my presentation of the artistic process I use, the leaders unanimously decided to hold an exhibition of my work within the year. The place they proposed for the exhibition was the prestigious Taipai-Houses Museum. Moreover, they decided to arrange the trip, the publication of an exhibition catalog in three languages ​​(Chinese, Portuguese and English) and the shipment of my sculptures by plane.”

Is it your first solo exhibition in China?
“I’ve done group exhibitions in the past, but this is the first solo exhibition in Asia. Many people were working behind the scenes. I’d especically like to mention Nico Casella who followed the beaurocratic process for obtaining the required documents and went the extra mile to ensure the safe arrival of the shipments. Then there’s Julian Andres Grajales who works with me at the studio, but there are so many others I should mention. . . The private viewing took place on September 25, marking the opening of the event that will last a month. On that occasion, Madam Florinda Chan invited me to conduct a guided tour, briefly presenting my work to the invited guests.”

How long did you stay in Macau?
“I was there for ten days, during which I was able to meet many people and dialogue with them, both at the conferences and during the private tours I conducted. One particularly interactive meeting was the one with 700 students from Colegio Mateus Ricci who expressed genuine wonder and gratitude; but were also interested in the practical technique, the inspiration and the style.”

Were there any surprises?
“Yes! One of the many surprises was when the Administration of the Colegio Mateus Ricci decided to purchase one of my works for the 60th anniversary of their institute in 2015, the sculpture is dedicated to Matteo Ricci, man of dialogue.”

Has anything remained with you from this Asian experience?
“I have great gratitude in my heart for the many relationships that were begun with so many people. . . unity was the protagonist.