Who We Are?

“White jade can be harvested from the earth, while gold can be grown from the land.”
– Ancient couplets, written on the temple of Earth God “Tudigong”, Macau

Land represents groundedness and fertility. Creation and imagination are allowed with its support. However, when “profit” and “effectiveness” are chosen to be the priority of land’s usage, how can we stick to our own essences without going passively with the social flow?

Macau was returned to China in 1999 and its economy has been growing rapidly in these two decades. As a type of building material with a long history, bamboo scaffolds are still very commonly used in the streets and alleys of Macau. It symbolizes construction, maintenance and dismantling. It is used to build the traditional folk stages which recap the joys and sorrows of life, as well as the complex city landscape where variations are made possible. Despite its flexibility, its greatness and the tradition it carries, the fact that it will soon be eliminated seems to be inevitable.

The current state of “Who We Are?” is a result of subsequent changes due to different limitations. It eventually shrinks and is trapped in the vast land of splendidness. It echoes our lives in Macau where choices are imposed on us without the reflection of real needs. Homogeneity appears to be the only trend of the city’s development. Here, everything can be found except for ourselves. In Macau, who are we?

Country/Region Macau

Presenting Organization Stage Management and Technology Association, Macau

Curator Lao Chi Wai

Curatorial Team Sam Man Kei, Lam Ka Pik, Leong Son U, Mok Sio Chong

Artists Leong Son U, Lam Ka Pik