The Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial House in Macau is the site of an ongoing exhibition by two adult artists from Taiwan featuring illustrations for children.
Located on the third floor, the exhibition is titled “童畫星球 – 毛毛蟲xPocapoca故事村” in Chinese, which directly translated to English means “Children’s Illustration Planet – Caterpillar x Pocapoca Story Village”. The works are presented across three sections, with artworks displayed in two separate rooms, while their introductions along with items such as books, tote bags and water bottles featuring each creator’s characters are displayed between the rooms.
毛蟲 is Chinese for “caterpillar”. AI chatbot Poe notes that “毛毛蟲” is a playful and affectionate term for “caterpillar” in Chinese.
Taiwan-based Armin Cheng (鄭明輝), who is also an interior designer, is showcasing characters from his “Guo Guo Planet” (果果星球), which a statement displayed at the gallery describes as being “a fantastical world” and featuring escaped creatures from Earth and creatures from across the universe live in harmony.
The statement said that long ago, an elder, disheartened by conflicts on Earth, made a wish to cosmic gods to create a peaceful prosperous home on the planet. Its inhabitants have since grown up valuing peace, respect and helping each other, “using their gifts to protect their home”, the statement said.
Pocapoca, meanwhile, was created by freelance Taiwanese illustrator Poca. According to her website, Poca is derived from the Japanese words Poka-Poka (ぽかぽか), which means “warmth”. Having joined exhibitions and created picture books featuring her characters from Village Pocapoca, Poca is referred to as the “Chief” of the village, where there’s “all sorts of lovely stories happening everyday”, according to her website.
The statement at the gallery notes that characters in the village comprise “many animal residents” that lead “a simple yet heartwarming life”, with Poca recording and turning these moments into stories through media such as picture books and illustrations. It has also expanded into podcasts and visuals on the “Pocapoca故事村” YouTube channel.
One can explore the two artists’ different worlds and characters at the free-admission venue until December 7, located at 1 Rua Silva Mendes (澳門文第士街1號) from Wednesday to Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Tuesdays.
Photos: Rui Pastorin
