The Official Residence of the Consul-General of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong (the former Bela Vista Hotel) was open to members of the public on Friday, gathering long queues of people eager for a rare glimpse inside the historic building.
The three-storey building is believed to have been constructed around 1870. It served various purposes from hotel, school, refugee camp, and a retreat for British soldiers before again becoming a hotel until it closed on March 29, 1999, according to the Cultural Heritage website.
Exploring the different areas of the erstwhile hotel were many tourists and locals. Exceptionally, the edifice was open to the public from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Found throughout the venue was a collection of 10 artworks for an exhibition by Macau and Hong Kong-based veteran Russian artist Konstantin Bessmertny, ending its year-long run on Friday.
Speaking with reporters that day, Bessmertny said that the former hotel was part of his “first impression of Macau”, having “good nostalgic memories” and a fondness for the historic building, though he had not always been a fan of the art it contained.
He highlighted the power that art can have inside a building and had been eager to do an exhibition there, attempting to bring it up with the different consuls-general who had lived there in the past. “Fortunately for me, Consul General Alexandre Leitão let me do it” and was happy to have his works throughout the building.
Among the highlights is a piece depicting the 1622 Battle of Macau, with Bessmertny, who loves history, incorporating his own East-Meets-West touch and art style to present the historic moment. “I’m trying to kind of play around with the technique and subject that is like far away from me. But, of course, it’s a lot of research studies”, getting the specifics down in presenting the development of the battle while also incorporating humour in the work, along with touches like Chinese calligraphy and texts in Japanese, Portuguese, Latin and English, he said.
Meanwhile, with Bessmertny being a distinguished veteran artist, the Post wanted to hear his thoughts on the role of experimentation in the growth of a creative, to which he referenced Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911).
“He [Mahler] said about tradition that tradition is not to worship the ashes, but to keep the fire. So part of it is actually experimental. So you cannot be like completely like your teacher”, Bessmertny said, adding that younger artists and generations must add something to their art. “But, of course, not destroy completely what was done by previous generations”, he said.
He noted that there’s often a misunderstanding in revolutions, labelling the old as bad and the new as good. However, art history shows that progress comes from both old and new ideas.
Artist Konstantin Bessmertny poses in front of his work depicting the Battle of Macau in 1622 that was on display at Official Residence of the Consul-general of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong.
Eager crowds explore the different areas of the Official Residence of the Consul-general of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong, while others still queue outside. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
