Interview by William Chan
The “Jacone’s Tower” exhibition will open on September 19 as part of Art Macao 2025, curators Cindy Ng Sio Ieng and Feng Yan told the Post in an online interview, and visitors will encounter more than just an art exhibition – they will step into a living dialogue between centuries, cultures, and creative disciplines.
Situated in a beautifully restored historic residence at No. 3 Travessa dos Poços (大井巷), the exhibition pays homage to Wu Li (吳歷)*, the revered Qing Dynasty painter, poet, and calligrapher – a devout Catholic and Jesuit missionary priest from Jiangsu – who referred to himself as ‘Jacone’ at the time.
Ng and Feng have assembled a team of six boundary-crossing artists from Macau and the mainland. “Our goal is to revitalise the old urban community through installations, multimedia, video, music, and performance art, all the while channelling the spirit of Wu Li – who, in the 17th century, sought to bridge the worlds of East and West, faith and art.”
According to the curators, they have structured the exhibition around three interwoven frameworks: “Gaze of Time,” “Deconstruction and Reconstruction,” and “Empowerment of Emotion.” Each floor of “Jacone’s Tower” embodies one of these stages. On the ground floor, works like Jiang Jun’s AI-generated “Data Sonnets” and Liu Xiangbo’s faith-symbolic paper bricks evoke the historical layering of Macau, where Wu Li’s own journey began.
As visitors ascend, Ng and Feng noted that installations such as Ng’s luminous ink windows and O Chi Wai’s digitally distorted human forms reflect the cultural ruptures and reconfigurations that have come to define Macau’s modern identity, after which, at the summit, light installations and soundscapes by Lei Nok Man invite visitors into a collective emotional closure, transforming the rooftop into a symbolic lighthouse – a beacon for the city’s ongoing search for meaning and unity.
As for the choice of the exhibition site, Ng and Feng pointed out that they have chosen the historic building in the Rua dos Curtidores (涼彊쌍) neighbourhood where Wu Li found his first Macau home in 1679. “Here, he studied Latin and Catholic theology, was baptised as ‘Jacone,’ and lived at the crossroads of the Portuguese and Chinese communities – an experience that crystallised Macau’s unique role as a frontier of cultural and spiritual exchange.”
Wu Li, Ng noted, a man who longed to travel to Rome but remained in Macau, embodied both the fusion and the tension at the heart of the city’s multicultural legacy. His struggles and aspirations continue to echo through the city’s contemporary search for identity, she said.
Nevertheless, the curators underlined that the exhibition would more than simply honour the past – the exhibits aim to reflect the concept of “liquid modernity” articulated by Polish-British sociologist Zygmunt Bauman. “In a world in constant flux, where identities are fluid, boundaries are porous, and meaning is continually negotiated, the exhibition’s structure also resists a linear narrative; instead, it layers time, space, and memory, much as Macau itself has always done.” Through installations, performances, and community engagement, Ng and Feng pointed out, “Jacone’s Tower” seeks to activate not just a building, but the collective memory and creative potential of an entire neighbourhood.
The exhibition runs from September 19 to November 16 at 3 Travessa dos Poços, closed on Mondays. For more information, visit: https://www.artmacao.mo/2025/cn/exhibitionDetail/143
*Wu Li (1632–1718) was a prominent Chinese landscape painter, poet, and one of the “Six Masters of the early Qing period.” In the late 1600s, Wu Li travelled to Macau, where he encountered Jesuit missionaries and was introduced to Christianity. Afterwards, his art began blending traditional Chinese literati styles with subtle Christian symbolism, reflecting both his heritage and new faith. – Poe
This undated file photo shows curator Feng Yan posing.
“Flowing polyphony” by Cindy Ng Sio Ieng (Macao)
“Subcloud Void” by Cindy Ng Sio Ieng (Macao).
This artwork depicts Cindy Ng Sio Ieng, curator and artist for Jacone’s Tower. – Photos provided by Ng and Feng
“Sanctus Cross” by Liu Xiangbo (Shanghai)
“Rose Veneration” by Veronica Lei Fong Ieng (Macao).
“Summit of Light” by the ensemble
“Pupil of light quantity” by Cindy Ng Sio Ieng (Macao)
“Scattered Divinity Between Data and Flesh” by O Chi Wai (Macao)
