101 Bowls – An Art Exhibition Featuring Water Poon's Art & Romy Cheung's Fashion Opens at Sands Gallery Today
Funds raised from artworks donated to Rainbow Road
(Macao,
Apr. 27, 2022) – Sands China unveiled the second
exhibition of its new Sands Gallery Wednesday at
the Grand Suites at Four Seasons, with 101 Bowls
– An Art Exhibition Featuring Water Poon's Art
& Romy Cheung's
Fashion.
The exhibition
is part of the company's ongoing commitment to the
diversification of art and culture, providing a platform
for promoting extensive exchange and cooperation among
local and international art
talent.
With a theme
of "Full of Content, Full of Love," the exhibition was
created as a labour of love by Chinese artist Water Poon
and Romy Cheung. It showcases over 40 bowls painted by
Poon, some themed on the 24 Chinese solar terms,
alongside one-of-a-kind folk art costumes designed by
Cheung, some of which feature traditional Nantong blue
calico from Jiangsu province, incorporating modern
design into traditional materials to demonstrate the
power of guochao, or the rising China cultural
tide.
"Sands China
is very pleased to present this exhibition as part of
our company's determination to support the long-term
development of art and culture in Macao," said Dr.
Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd. "By bringing
exhibitions like this to Sands Gallery, we hope to
contribute to Macao's positioning as a multicultural
exchange and cooperation base between Chinese and
Western culture. Master Poon is a versatile artist, and
has offered art lovers an extraordinary aesthetic
experience through his varied art forms. Our sincere
thanks go to Master Poon and Ms. Cheung for bringing
their unique works, including those in the '101 Bowls'
series on display, and for their commitment to utilise
the exhibition to benefit a charitable cause. We are
also grateful to the Macao Liaison Office and the Macao
SAR government for their continued guidance and
support."
Poon is an
artist, photographer, designer and film director. Over
his career he has published over 50 photo albums, art
books and travel notes. His works have been exhibited
around the world, including in China, Singapore, Japan,
Canada and the United States. He has won a variety of
awards including Hong Kong's Ten Outstanding
Professional Youth of the Year, Hong Kong Artist of the
Year for photography and the Martell Artist of the Year
in Shanghai,
China.
He said: "I am
very excited to present these works from the '101 Bowls'
series at Sands Gallery. Art is a pillar of culture, and
it is an honour to be able to present the rich history
of Chinese art and culture with this exhibition. These
bowls, which are themed on the 24 Chinese solar terms,
not only serve as a container, but as a medium to spread
love and goodwill to the community. I'm even happier
that my art can turn into goodwill by nurturing the
youth in rural areas of China to learn about and
appreciate arts. For this exhibition, 10 of my bowls are
being donated for a charity sale with all proceeds going
to Rainbow Road, a charity campaign contributing to
youth education in ethnic areas in China and the
development of cultural and art education. My gratitude
goes to Sands China for their support and for helping
raise visitors' awareness of Chinese art at its
properties, and to all philanthropists who have
supported this
initiative."
As a charity
tour, the exhibition has toured in Guangzhou, Shanghai
and Dongguan, with donations made to respective NGOs for
youth education along the way. For the Macao exhibition,
10 of Poon's bowls are being donated for a charity sale,
with all proceeds going to Rainbow Road, a project to
help rural teenagers, especially those in ethnic regions
of China, enhance their artistic abilities and promote
the transmission of the cultural and artistic heritage
of ethnic
minorities.
At the opening
ceremony, Poon took the occasion to present a MOP
100,000 cheque to Lok Hei, representative of the Rainbow
Road Project and president of Macau Artist Society, with
the presence of five of the philanthropists who
purchased the bowls. Poon and Cheung then gave guests of
honour a guided tour of the
exhibition.
The
exhibition's guests of honour were Yin Rutao, Deputy
Director-General of the Department of Publicity and
Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's
Government in the Macao SAR; Lok Po, member of the
National People's Congress and Director of Macau Daily
News; Dr. Wong; Cheng Wai Tong, Deputy Director of the
Macao Government Tourism Office; Sam Hou In, Head of the
Department of Exhibitions and Museums of the Cultural
Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR; Lai Ieng, Vice-chairman
of the Guangdong Artists Association; Lok Hei, President
of Macau Artist Society; Poon; and
Cheung.
Inspired by
the mantle and alms bowl of a Buddhist monk, the bowls
and clothing on display showcase the truth, goodness and
beauty of nature. In particular, the bowls were crafted
by ceramic company JOYYE, with Poon painting them with
elements related to the 24 Chinese solar terms and the
idea of positivity in life. The exhibition aims to
showcase the beauty of ceramic culture and paintings
while benefiting charity. The artist explains that the
idea of "101" represents reunification after the
achievement of consummation, returning to the starting
point, and not forgetting the original intention, which
is the communication of love and goodwill via the bowls
as the medium.
101 Bowls
– An Art Exhibition Featuring Water Poon's Art
& Romy Cheung's Fashion at Sands Gallery is open
to the public 11 a.m.-7 p.m. daily April 28-May 29,
2022.
Sands Gallery
is a permanent art space on the 6th floor of The Grand
Suites at Four Seasons, and provides an opportunity for
guests to explore an ever-changing variety of art
exhibitions. The gallery was born out of Sands China's
desire to help cultivate an environment that nurtures
creativity and art appreciation in Macao. It also aims
to support the development of art and culture and to
bring a greater diversity of experiences to the city,
while promoting and encouraging professional artists in
Macao and across the
region.
Sands China
plans to invest more resources into inviting renowned
local and international artists of different art forms
to host exhibitions at the gallery in order to enrich
the cultural experience of Macao residents and
visitors.
Photo caption: Sands China Ltd. President Dr. Wilfred
Wong speaks at the opening ceremony of 101 Bowls –
An Art Exhibition Featuring Water Poon's Art & Romy
Cheung's Fashion Wednesday at Sands
Gallery.
Photo caption: President of Macau Artist Society Lok
Hei speaks at the opening ceremony of 101 Bowls –
An Art Exhibition Featuring Water Poon's Art & Romy
Cheung's Fashion Wednesday at Sands
Gallery.
Photo caption: Artist Water Poon delivers remarks at
the opening ceremony of 101 Bowls – An Art
Exhibition Featuring Water Poon's Art & Romy Cheung's
Fashion Wednesday at Sands
Gallery.
Photo caption: Artist Romy Cheung speaks at the
opening ceremony of 101 Bowls – An Art Exhibition
Featuring Water Poon's Art & Romy Cheung's Fashion
Wednesday at Sands
Gallery.
Photo caption: Guests of honour attend the opening
ceremony of 101 Bowls – An Art Exhibition Featuring
Water Poon's Art & Romy Cheung's Fashion Wednesday
at Sands Gallery.
Photo caption: Master Water Poon presents his
calligraphy "Sands Gallery" to Dr. Wilfred Wong at the
opening ceremony of 101 Bowls – An Art Exhibition
Featuring Water Poon's Art & Romy Cheung's Fashion
Wednesday.