“Shining Art - Gold and Silver Handicraft Exhibition of Hebei and Guizhou Provinces” inaugurated at Tap Seac Gallery
Organised by the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, the Hebei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, coordinated by the Center for Ethnic and Folk Literature and Art Development of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and co-organised by the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, the exhibition “Shining Art - Gold and Silver Handicraft Exhibition of Hebei and Guizhou Provinces” was inaugurated on 24 January, at the Tap Seac Gallery. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Deputy Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Bai Bing; the Acting Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Choi Kin Long; the 2nd Class Inspector of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Hebei Province, Li Wenyuan; the Member of the Leading Group of the Communist Party of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guizhou Province and the Director of the Provincial Cultural Relics Development Centre, Zhang Yong; the Deputy Director of the Center for Ethnic and Folk Literature and Art Development of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China, Zhou Rui; and the Member of the Executive Committee of Teledifusão de Macau, S.A., Cheang Kong Pou.
The art of making gold and silver wares is a type of traditional Chinese handicraft with a history of more than 3,000 years. Filigree inlay art and the craft of Chinese cloisonné of Hebei Province and Miao ethnic group silversmithing of Guizhou Province, which are representative items of national intangible cultural heritage, are the shining pearls in this field. The filigree inlay and Chinese cloisonné art of Hebei Province are characterised by a high degree of technical refinement, the diversity of patterns and a dazzling ornamentation and are of great artistic value, while silversmithing of the Miao ethnic group in Guizhou Province carries rich cultural connotations, and the relevant works show a strong ethnic style and a distinctive artistic taste.
The exhibition is part of the series of activities celebrating the Lunar New Year of the Snake, organised by IC, featuring over 160 pieces/sets of exquisite gold, silver jewellery and items. These works, created by inheritors of intangible cultural heritage and master artisans, feature sophisticated designs, with a high degree of technical refinement and a rich variety of styles. Preserving long-standing traditional techniques and incorporating modern aesthetics, the pieces of traditional art shine in contemporary era. On the first day of the exhibition, the inheritor will demonstrate gold and silver craftsmanship onsite, introducing the filigree inlay art and silversmithing of the Miao ethnic group at 10am and 11:30am, as well as Chinese cloisonné art and silversmithing of the Miao ethnic group at 3pm and 5pm. Each session of the demonstrations will last for approximately 1 hour. In addition, during the exhibition period, guided tours will be available in Cantonese at 3pm and Mandarin at 4:15pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
In order to allow the public to experience the gold and silversmithing, the organisers will host a total of four workshops on 8 and 9 February. On 8 February, from 10am to 12pm and from 3pm to 5pm, the workshops will be conducted by a provincial representative inheritor of the craft, who will introduce filigree inlay art of Hebei Province. On 9 February, from 10am to 12pm and from 3pm to 5pm, the workshops will be conducted by a prefecture-level representative inheritor of the craft, who will introduce the silversmithing of the Miao ethnic group of Guizhou Province.
All the workshops will be held in the activity room of the Xian Xinghai Memorial Museum, located at No. 151-153, Rua de Francisco Xavier Pereira, Macao. The workshops will be conducted in Mandarin, and 16 seats are available for each session. Admission is free. Residents aged 16 or above can register through the “Activity Applications” of the “Macao One Account” (activity.mo.gov.mo/activity-h5/activity-list-web) from 10am on 25 January. Each person can only register for one session. If the number of registrants exceeds the quota, selection will be made by a random draw. Successful applicants will be notified by SMS.
The exhibition “Shining Art - Gold and Silver Handicraft Exhibition of Hebei and Guizhou Provinces” is held from today until 23 February, at the Tap Seac Gallery. The exhibition is open daily from 10am to 7pm, including on public holidays. Admission is free.
For more information about the exhibition, please visit the Cultural Affairs Bureau’s website at www.icm.gov.mo or contact IC through tel. no. 8988 4000 during office hours.
