Slideshow « Urban Myrrh

The Rui Cunha Foundation will host on August 27 (Wednesdday), at 18:30, the opening ceremony of “Urban Myrrh – Leong Kit Man Exhibition of Gongbi Painting”. The exhibition is jointly organized by the Rui Cunha Foundation, the Macau Artist Society, and the Macau Youth Art Association.

Leong Kit Man is a Macau artist and curator. She holds a Doctor Degree of Fine Arts from the Chinese National Academy of Arts, China and is currently an Assistant Professor of Fine Arts (and supervisor of Master’s and Doctoral students) at the Faculty of Humanities and Arts at the Macau University of Science and Technology. She has extensive experience in Eastern media creation, art teaching, exhibition planning, art projects, and lecture training. She excels at exploring the aesthetic evolution of art from a stylistic perspective. Her academic research includes “On Recognition of Chui Yun Visuals as Paintings”. Leong has always been focused on researching and contemplating the essence and form of artistic creation. She has curated numerous exhibitions, such as: Inheritance under Ruins of St. Paul’s: An Immersive Experience of Song(2024), Behind the Forms: The Aesthetics of Contemporary Art (2023), The Will at the Edge (2022), Meaning • Intention: Conceptual Art Exhibition (2021, 2022, 2024), Purge One’s Mind – Trio Exhibition (2017), The Encounter of Tong Nam (2011), and etc. Leong’s work primarily utilizes Eastern media, and her works are categorized into three main styles: “Song-style Gongbi”, “Texture Gongbi,” and “Examination Paper Installation,” based on the years of her creation and her personal style. Her solo exhibitions include, Spices for Soul: Leong Kit Man’s Debut Exhibition in Rome (2025), Embrace of Love: Leong Kit Man’s Large-Scale Flower-and-Bird Painting Exhibition (2025), Innermost: Exhibition of Gongbi Painting by Leong Kit Man (2024), and Chui Yun Visual Illusions: Exhibition of Works by Leong Kit Man (2022). Through years of creative practice, Leong has not only inherited the techniques of Gongbi painting but also continuously developed a signature visual language. Her signature piece “Embrace of Love” was selected as a project funded by the 2024 National Arts Fund Young Artistic Creation Talent Support Programme. Some notable achievements to name would be having works be selected three consecutive times to the China National Art Exhibition, and receiving the “Top Ten Excellent Works Award” in the Annual Exhibition of Macau Visual Arts on three occasions, among others. Guided by her artistic motto, “Creating new knowledge through the logic of media” , Leong continuously innovates and creations with Eastern medium, offering contemporary reflections on life experiences.

“Urban Myrrh – Leong Kit Man Exhibition of Gongbi Painting” features 20 pieces / sets of Leong’s Gongbi paintings created between 2024 and 2025, including the “Spices of Soul” series, which was inspired by the Silk Road’s spice trade, bringing in dried species to life on silk, depicting branches, buds, and fruits teeming with vitality. The “Innermost” series, which has recently gained recognition in various art fairs and collections, addresses the oppressive emotions of urban life, aiming to nurture the urban souls through small silk artworks. Additionally, the “Daily Apps” series that reflects on the electronic decline of urban living, depicting the habitual scrolling and browsing driven by muscle memory. Fingers frequently manipulate app icons, and whole engaging with these electronic applications, they also symbolize a toxic addition that drains personal contemplation. In her works, “Urban Myrrh” and “Daily apps – purge my Mind”, Leong states that “Modern reading habits have transformed with the rise of smartphones, turning apps into a dice-like addiction. People often find themselves helplessly wasting time on their phones, yearning for the day when they can simply toss these distractions into a bag and clear them away. Wishing to achieve a mind as calm as water and to reach a state of serenity.” Leong’s Gongbi creations reflect from personal feelings to complex imagery, her thoughts on life and the challenges of living in a busy urban environment.

Leong excels at expressing her various fantasies about contemporary life through a classic Eastern Song Dynasty aesthetic. In addition to presenting her intricate spice artworks from her debut in Rome to the audience in Macao, she has also created two new traditional Gongbi works: “Seafood Pasta” and “Dongpo Pork”. These pieces invite viewers to engage in a dual sensory experience, intertwining visual and gustatory associations. The exhibition also features a new work titled “Urban Apron”, which depicts a circle of Roman numerals on a round silk canvas. This piece uses the architectural style of ancient pavilions to illustrate the daily life and conventions of urban women. It reflects the conflict between the fragmentation of daily responsibilities and the pursuit of the soul, as well as the contradictions between duty and freedom that permeate every corner of life. Leong hopes her work can alleviate these tensions, offering a testament to the rhythms and inner feelings of modern urban working women.

Visitors are welcome to visit the Rui Cunha Foundation Gallery to experience Leong’s Gongbi Paitning, which engages with contemporary expressions and the rhythmic pulse of digital life. Leong Kit Man captures the urban soul through her fine brushwork, presenting a unique contemporary spirit of traditional craftsmanship.

Leong’s creations connect different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles, reflecting on the current state of circumstances while infusing a sense of tranquil antiquity. Her brushwork transcends mere silk, delving into the spiritual realm and continually reshaping the boundaries of Eastern materials. This exhibition highlights her preferred Song Dynasty aesthetic in the framing and layout, weaving together ancient and modern aesthetics in a serene and elegant atmosphere.

Works will be exhibited until September 13th, 2025.

Admission is free.

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For Macau, Further and Higher!

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