GalaxyArt, the non-profit arts space managed by Galaxy Entertainment Group Foundation is collaborating with Macau artist, Mr. Yuen Wai-Ip (Leo Yuen), to present the oil painting exhibition 5 a.m. at its gallery on Level 1 of The Promenade Shops at Galaxy Macau from now until February 5, 2023.
Inviting visitors to embark on a colourful visual journey, the exhibition displays a collection of over 40 oil paintings created by Leo Yuen between the 1990’s and 2020’s, which capture his reflections on his life experiences and also on the society he lives in.
Occupying a premium space of approximately 600 square meters on the first floor of Galaxy Macau, GalaxyArt has been hosting sizeable art exhibitions regularly since opening in 2021.
“I must express my gratitude to GalaxyArt for providing such a large exhibition space. This gave me a lot space to express myself. All my paintings have different elements, meanings and stories behind them, and they are arranged accordingly so visitors can follow along,” says the artist.
Given his extensive background in interior design, Leo Yuen is also the creative mind behind the design and layout of the exhibition space; his unique presence can be felt through the many monologues and sketches on the walls.
Going through the exhibition, the collection of work is curated into 6-7 zones, each with a different emotion and chromatic setting in sync with the ‘mood' of the paintings – their elements and stories – on display. The artist’s distinctive way of dating his work as if in a personal diary (stating the day, month, and year) provides insights into his life moments in retrospect and represents moments in time of the fast-changing city as well as his views on society.
The exhibition guides viewers to contemplate humanity and view things from different perspectives, and encourages them to use the artworks to reconnect with themselves in this fast-paced life, to stay grounded and focused and to think critically about things around them.
“Leo Yuen views this collection of work as a documentary of the Macau that he has experienced and his perspective on the city over the years,” comments Florence Lam, Gallery Manager of GalaxyArt. “As he has grown older, he has developed a deeper understanding of things in general, so there has been an evolution in his work from more raw emotions to deeper reflections and realisations.”
Born and raised in Macau, Leo Yuen has been a gifted painter since childhood, and after studying watercolor painting and sketching, he finally chose oil painting as the medium for his creation. Dedicated to oil painting for many years, he has created a series of artworks embedded with a variety of meanings from different phases of his creative journey. His works mainly tackle both local and universal contemporary issues, and express feelings of pressure caused by social systems, from the demands of living in a city with ever changing streets, to emotional experiences late at night and reflections on life – all these themes create a link between the inner world of the audience and society.
One of his more recent series comprising Outsider (60.2 cm x 80.3 cm, 13 Aug 2021) and Friend Button (80 cm x 60 cm, 21 Jan 2022) ponders the impact of our excessive use of mobile phones and how this impacts on our human relationships. In Friend Button, a man and a woman stand back to back in the same room together – one looking out of the window with a tedious gaze and the other occupied with a busy ‘phone-fishing’ game – both seemingly experiencing completely different realities from each other. The artist questions how we are able to maintain our relationships under these circumstances.
“My paintings are not abstract, but I also don’t want to be too direct. I want to keep a distance between myself and the audience and leave space for different interpretations,” Yuen explains. “Maybe the audience has similar questions to me, but maybe they will see something else in my paintings. I enjoy communicating with them in this way,” he adds, noting the use of symbolism that fills his work.
“This is the artistic language of the artist that he has been developing over the years,” adds Florence. “A lot of time is spent on determining the composition of the work, how he can express what he wants to say on a two-dimensional canvas, and how he can present the concept and the question to the audience.”
As the title of the exhibition reveals, the artworks capture the artist’s creative journey of transforming his life circumstances into art on canvas at 5 a.m., before the first rays of morning light enter his studio. Walking into the exhibition space, viewers are immediately enveloped by a riot of vibrant colours and intense emotions, as if entering the inner world of the artist himself. The exhibits do not stop at the planar world; they extend to include objects and props to engage viewers with an immersive, interactive experience.
In another recent series of four still-life paintings, Abalone (90.3 cm x 60.4 cm, 4 Nov 2013), Sea Cucumber (90 cm x 60 cm, 30 Jul 2013), Shark Fin (90.2 cm x 60.2 cm, 24 Nov 2013) and Fish Maw (90 cm x 60 cm, 31 Jul 2013), Leo Yuen captures the very essence of the cultural significance of this food, but wittingly touches on our endless pursuit of an extravagant lifestyle in a city known as ‘the city of gastronomy’, where the greatest challenge is not about a shortage of food, but rather not being able to share our latest dining extravaganza. Our inability to check in and talk about our gastronomy experience disconnects us from the masses. In olden days, we were happy with simple fruits such as watermelons, apples and bananas…today, we seemingly desire a more gastronomic dining experience to be in good spirits.
Each painting by the artist has its own unique story, with robust colours and simplistic brushstrokes, eliminating over-the-top techniques but underscoring the significance behind it. With each work representing a certain moment and mood in life, the strong visual impact of the exhibition encourages the audience to engage in self-reflection that may resonate with the stories depicted by the artist.
During the exhibition, the traditional Chinese Northern restaurant Bei Shan Lou and sophisticated lifestyle café CHA BEI at Galaxy Macau are launching exclusive, limited-edition dishes for the 5 a.m. exhibition. The signature “little black bird” elements in the artist’s work are the inspiration for these distinctive desserts, serving as a testament to the interconnectivity of creativity in different fields and allowing diners to discover the beauty of art while enjoying these delicacies.