The intersecting of lines and surfaces have given birth to numerous marvelous creations on the canvasses of Lai Sut Weng, with shapes and forms overlapping each other to represent the daily Macau scenes that are so familiar to us all.
Lai Sut Weng started painting, like many other children, as a hobby. She later entered her school’s art society. She thinks that the reason she was attracted to painting was because it made her feel more confident in herself.
“When I was a child, I was praised by the teachers every time I did well in painting. I was also invited into the art society and won awards in some painting contests. All this boosted my confidence and motivated me to go further,” she remembers.
“My first experience of success came from the Orient Foundation Art Award two years ago. Sometimes I think that these awards serve as a proof of my competence, and boost my confidence so that I can continue on this path.”
A Macau resident born and raised in this city, Lai says her most direct perception towards Macau comes from the buildings. She believes Macau’s culture is not only the events that take place here, but also the buildings that incorporate Chinese and Portuguese elements. As a result, she thinks buildings in Macau are the best illustration of the city’s cultural background.
“That is the reason I paint these building in a deconstructive manner. It is actually a way to remind the viewers and reintroduce them to the environment that surrounds them. There are many buildings that have been demolished for various reasons, but I think many of them should be preserved. If you take down all these buildings and put only modern skyscrapers in their place, is our city Macau anymore? Where will the culture and special features of Macau be displayed?”
The artist hopes viewers can contemplate these questions viewing and appreciating her art work.
In terms of style, Lai thinks her technique aligns more with expressionism. She hopes her paintings can be unpredictable and always surprise people.
“For example, you can see many rectangular shapes in my paintings. Some people think this is a kind of digitization, but I don’t think that is the most appropriate description. The rectangles in my paintings are actually not regularly organized, yet they group into a complete image eventually and allow viewers to understand what I am painting. The whole painting is organized in a directly perceivable manner and expresses my feelings.”
She also feels that she can find and communicate with herself in painting.
“I feel like every time when I am painting, it is a conversation with myself,” the painter explains.
Since her paintings are about expressing feelings, Lai does not have a fixed schedule for painting. Everything depends on her mood. But because she doesn’t currently have a full-time job, she admits that there are times when she feels insecure.
“As I don’t have a proper job and a stable income, sometimes I do doubt myself and think about whether I should find a job and treat painting as just a part-time job. I also think that since I am a fresh graduate, I probably should consider other possibilities and allow myself to be more flexible.”
Lai is currently preparing for a solo exhibition at the Art For All Society and will include some new elements into her creations. But the theme of the exhibition will still revolve around the buildings in Macau.
Regarding the future, having just graduated from IPM this year, Lai says it depends on how much she can achieve.
“In fact, I had set a time limit for myself. I wanted to see how much I could achieve before I graduated. I have finished my degree now and I think I have done pretty well so far. I had set a goal to have a solo exhibition before graduating from IPM and I consider this goal half-achieved, since I am going to have a solo exhibition at the end of this year. If things continue as they are, I would like to keep walking along this path.”
