Living in a modern era that emphasises independence and individuality, we might forget the importance of tracing our roots and getting to know the true meaning of ‘home’. Having settled down here in Macao for ten years, designer Huang Guanghui has found her own reasons to make Macao a place she calls home.  

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Macao has been a very unique home for many as this is one of the very first places where the Chinese and Western cultures encountered. The advantageous geopolitical and historical positions for centuries have been providing Macao abundant opportunities to thrive. And that has also created a platform for Chinese and foreign scholars, artists, and even pioneers to adventure and chase their dreams. The legends they left behind had, as a result, laid a solid foundation for fabricating Macao’s cultural diversity and humanities. Not to mention that Macao was also an important port of the Maritime Silk Road as well as a central transit port to export Chinese ceramics. After a few thousand years of the development, the Chinese ceramics has made a profound influence in shaping human civilisation. It convinces me that the unique assimilation of Chinese and Portuguese cultures is exactly what attracts Huang to move to Macao from Jiangnan and to start a new chapter of life with endless creative inspirations. 

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In the eve of having had a new life in Macao for a decade and Macao’s 20th anniversary of returning to the motherland, Huang decides to exercise her exquisite skills in Chinese ceramics and glass handicrafts with the theme of ‘Fu Lu (good fortune)’ to express her gratitude and best wishes.  For instance, her ceramic work ‘Variable Gourd Cup Set’ conveys the essence of Eastern design by combining the auspicious concept ‘Fu Lu’ in traditional Chinese culture and the philosophical ideas in Laozi’s Dao De Jing. Huang’s work is actually a practical product that you don’t have to bother dust protection and storage issue. It features the process of interaction between people and utensils, meanwhile it offers versatile mode for storage (the combination depends on the owner’s preferences). The use of gourd in shape implies the auspicious object in Chinese traditional culture and you can unfold this product into five utensils then fold it back into three or one object(s) for easy storage, which is a combination of ornamental and practicality in terms of design.

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Huang also questions the conventional perception of using utensils in her work ‘Xiangyun Mother-child Cup’. She exercises a novel way of thinking to contemplate the process of using a cup and the problems occurred in the process. She not only explores how to address both need of the aesthetics of display and the spatial arrangement for storage, but also adds fun to the interactions between users and products. The product can be either displayed in the shape of a gourd or an aquarium. It is definitely a rare masterpiece that shows the charm of Eastern aesthetics. Not to mention that one of the product lines is produced by Longquan Kiln – one of the five famous kilns that are on the list of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. 

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The cups in the shape of a gourd aims to symbolise the Chinese auspicious culture. This plant has been long perceived as ‘Fu Lu’ in Chinese history and thus the artist desires to translate this cultural vibe into a lively and practical modern design that give hopes to a tradition that might have been forgotten by many.

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The ceramic art whose evolution happens over the course of many thousands of years not only has tightly linked the Chinese civilisation to Macao but also has taken root in various parts of the world that has profoundly affected human civilisation. Today, we gather here to witness the ceramic art that shines through in the course of human history and appreciate the playful designs that well capture the spirit of the times.

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Curator 
Joey Ho