GalaxyArt is presenting the “5 a.m.” Oil Painting Exhibition by local artist Yuen Wai-Ip at its gallery in Level One of The Promenade Shops at Galaxy Macau.
The art space is managed by Galaxy Entertainment Group Foundation (GEG Foundation) and the works will be on display until 5 February.
The 40 oil paintings created by Yuen between the 1990s and 2020s reflect his life experiences and the society he lives in, with the exhibition guiding “viewers to contemplate humanity and view things from different perspectives”, encouraging them to use the artworks to “reconnect with themselves in this fast-paced life, to stay grounded and focused, as artists do, and to think critically about things around them”.
The gallery said that these also reflect the foundation’s work over the years, “staying committed to its mission and always investing in and giving back to the community based on mindfulness and care for people” within the community.
Yuen has been a gifted painter since childhood and after studying watercolour painting and sketching, he chose oils as the medium for his creations. His artwork mainly tackles local and universal contemporary issues, and expresses feelings of pressure caused by social systems.
The works also “capture the artist’s journey of transforming his circumstances into art on canvas at 5 a.m., before the first rays of morning light enter his studio”.
GalaxyArt is also offering on-site guided tours to enable visitors to better understand the works. Moreover, from next month, a range of “art enlightenment workshops” for children titled The Clumsy Artist will be launched for free. Through these workshops, children can learn the different ways of appreciating art, have a good understanding of colours, and create artworks with different tools and media.
Educational guided tour services will also be provided for students of different levels, as well as seminars related to organising and planning art exhibitions in integrated resorts, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the statement added that traditional Chinese Northern restaurant Bei Shan Lou and CHA BEI are also launching exclusive, limited-edition dishes for the exhibition, with the signature “little black bird” elements in the artist’s work inspiring the desserts, thereby enabling visitors to discover art alongside these delicacies.
