The Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC) inaugurated a collective Chinese painting exhibition, titled “Trail of Matteo Ricci”, yesterday, showcasing 33 ink and colour works by PhD students under the academic supervision of University of Macau (UM) Prof. Zhang Yan.
Curated by artists Li Ranqing and Lei Meihang, the exhibition presents works created during a 2025 field trip that retraced the route of Italian Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) from Macau through the Chinese mainland and on to Italy.
According to an FRC statement yesterday, the journey covered cities including Guangzhou, Zhaoqing and Shaoguan in Guangdong Province, as well as Rome, Macerata, Genoa, Venice, Milan, and Florence.
In his speech, Zhang said the project was conceived as “taking Macau as a fulcrum to build a bridge connecting history and the present,” reinterpreting Matteo Ricci’s cross-cultural journey through contemporary artistic practice.
He described overseas sketching not as simple landscape reproduction, but as “a spiritual dialogue and cultural translation” carried out through traditional Chinese painting, adding that the works demonstrate how brush and ink can “radiate unique charm in the collision of diverse civilizations.”
The exhibition brings together 18 artists and is organised by the Rui Cunha Foundation in conjunction with the public university’s Department of Art and Design and the Centre for Chinese History and Culture, with support from several Greater Bay Area (GBA) art organisations.
With free admission, the works can be viewed until January 24, with exhibitiongoers able to visit the gallery at 749 Avenida da Praia Grande, Luen Pong Building. The gallery is open from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is free.
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University of Macau (UM) Prof. Zhang Yan addresses yesterday’s “Trail of Matteo Ricci” opening ceremony at the Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC) gallery on Avenida da Praia Grande. – Photo: Khalel Vallo
