Interview by Rui Pastorin
Local Portuguese artist Lúcia Lemos is presenting a total of 44 works in an exhibition titled “Metamorphosis” at the Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC) gallery until June 21, showcasing works created using various mediums.
Lemos’s latest solo exhibition is among a raft of activities held in celebration of “June, the Month of Portugal”.
Lemos, the founder and former coordinator of Creative Macau – Centre for Creative Industries, told the Post during the opening ceremony at the gallery yesterday that exhibitiongoers will be able to see works made through five mediums: fine printmaking, black-and-white photography, ceramics, installations, and paintings.
Serving as a retrospective of Lemos’s career, the solo exhibition features a mix of recently created works, along with those made over the years. Among those on display are photos that Lemos took in 2006 of the Majestic Café in Porto, along with other black-and-white photographs, as well as portraits created using ceramics and printmaking.
With over 40 works presented using the different mediums, Lemos said that exhibitiongoers might be able to find something that they can enjoy when visiting the gallery.
As a veteran artist, Lemos was also asked by the Post about her advice for those pursuing art or are hoping to become artists in the future. She responded by pointing out that for her the most important thing is to not to just listen to opinions that others might have about one’s work but instead, “just do what you really want”.
Her reasoning for this is that when artists or those who want to become artists start working on what they want, whatever they are creating becomes “very personal”, putting themselves into their creation. In this way, “people can feel and sense you” through those pieces, Lemos pointed out, adding that each person is unique, and so might be the resulting work.
Born in Vila Nova de Famalicão in northern Portugal, Lemos moved to Macau over four decades ago in 1982, according to her artist profile on the Creative Macau website. Aside from founding Creative Macau in 2003, she also went on to launch the Macau International Short Film Festival, where she was the Festival Director.
An FRC statement provided yesterday noted that she has joined over 50 group exhibitions in Macau and elsewhere. In terms of her photography, Lemos mainly shoots in black-and-white and, according to the statement, she has been showcasing her photos in solo exhibitions in Berkeley in the US, Curitiba in Brazil, Lisbon and Porto in Portugal, Macau, Monza in Italy, Palermo in Italy, Salzburg in Austria, and Shanghai since 2002.
Local Portuguese artist and photographer Lúcia Lemos introduces yesterday one of her artworks on display at the Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC) gallery for her latest solo exhibition, “Metamorphosis”.
Photos taken yesterday by Rui Pastorin
