Bacalhau (codfish), along with sea otters on a quest towards its discovery, are taking up an exhibition room at the 10 Fantasia gallery via paintings by Macau illustrator and designer Vanda Chan’s (陳家欣) “Bacalhau” solo exhibition.
On until June 30, the free-admission exhibition in room A of the gallery on Calçada da Igreja de S. Lázaro (瘋堂斜巷) starts with a story told through a line of seven paintings that exhibitiongoers will first encounter starring an adventurous group of sea otters. According to a statement at the venue, these works, each accompanied by nursery rhymes and poetry, are from a chapter of “Otter Kingdom”, a picture-book that Chan hopes to someday publish.
The otters are in search of the “Cod King” and the origins of bacalhau, Portugal’s signature dish, that has also found a home in Macau in local cuisine, with the exhibition statement pointing out that bacalhau has formed a “cross-ocean connection between Portugal and Macau”.
It is used in a variety of delicacies from codfish balls to Bacalhau à Brás (“Brás Style Cod”), all the way to its tinned form, with Chan also portraying some of them in a section of the exhibition.
With a playful take on the story and history of bacalhau, the statement from the gallery noted: “Today, cod might be seen as just a delicacy on our tables. However, in times of scarcity, it was a vital pillar of human survival. Adventurers during the Age of Discovery* learnt the art of salt-curing, much like the otters in our story, ‘locking’ the essence of the ocean within the fish to carry it back to their distant homes”.
The artist is currently a freelance illustrator in Macau and a children’s art instructor. She has collaborated with local commercial organisations on various projects, including MGM COTAI and power utility CEM, the statement noted. The exhibition marks Chan’s third food-themed exhibition, according to information at the gallery, and uses food as her main creative inspiration. With this in mind, the artist hopes to further explore food from around the world as a theme, aiming to use her works “to share the joy that food brings to viewers”.
Members of the public may view the works from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday.
*The Age of Discovery – aka the Age of Exploration or Age of Encounter – was a period from the 15th to the 17th century when European explorers travelled across the globe by sea to map new territories, establish trade routes, and connect previously isolated continents. – Gemini
– Photos Rui Pastorin
