Walk into the In-depth Cooperation Zone
Young people have the courage to explore and pursue breakthroughs, such as Guan Hongtao, a post-95 photography artist in Macao, who has been actively seeking inspiration from the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin in recent years, and has created a large number of works with unique visual styles, which are due to his experience of cross-border entrepreneurship and life.
In this issue, we take a look at how the Macao artist has expanded his artistic horizons in the Co-operation Zone.
Returning to Macau, I regained my passion for creation
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Born and raised in Macau, Kwan became fascinated by photography in high school, and in 2014, he went to the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, where he majored in digital media and minored in photography. In 2017, he was invited to return to Macao to hold his first photography exhibition, which was well received.
After graduating from university, Guan Hongtao established a photography company in the United States. His business was mainly commercial shooting projects, and over time, he lost the impulse to create, and his artistic creation stagnated.
In 2020, the sudden new crown pneumonia epidemic made him determined to return to China for development. At a time when Hengqin has introduced many policies to support young people to start their own businesses, they decided to try their own businesses in the Greater Bay Area.
Photo: Guan Hongtao
After returning to Macau, his mind came alive again, and Guan Honghai said that every corner of his eyes could bring inspiration to his creations again.
In the process of cross-border entrepreneurship in Hengqin, his lens often focuses on the two closely connected cities of Macao and Hengqin, and develops new creative themes...
The co-operation zone brings new inspiration and new themes
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■In the "Connecting Cities" series, he uses aerial photography, climbing buildings and mountains to obtain photographic materials, and uses techniques such as post-fusion and rotation to integrate the landmark landscapes of Macao and Hengqin, presenting a visual effect similar to time and space.
■In order to arouse the public's attention and thinking about environmental protection, in 2022, Guan Hongtao went to the Hengqin Renewable Resources Recycling Center to rinse hundreds of recycled plastic bottles, and then brought these plastic bottles of different colors and shapes back to Macao, and built a multimedia photography and large-scale installation artwork "Plastic Mountain", which aroused the audience's response with an environmental protection theme exhibition.
■Starting from Hengqin, Guan Hongtao's works gradually moved towards the Bay Area. At the 1st Greater Bay Area Young Artists Exhibition held in Guangzhou, he introduced the "Non-View" series to the audience.
Guan Hongtao currently lives in Zhuhai and usually drives cars from the two places to and from Zhuhai and Macao. From 1 March 2024, the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin will officially implement the management model of "liberalization of the first line and control of the second line". At the beginning, Guan Hongtao was worried that the inspection in the "second line" would be very troublesome, but once he carried the paintings to pass the customs, and the customs clearance was very smooth, which made him more confident in Hengqin's policy measures.
He believes that after the implementation of the new policy, it has indeed made it easier for him to work and live in Macao and Hengqin.
As one of the first artists to enter Hengqin, Guan Hongtao has always faced the development of the Greater Bay Area with an optimistic and open mind.
"The new district represents new development and youth, and we, as the younger generation, will have more opportunities for development. Hengqin is a big subject for art creators, and there can be a lot of creative space, but at present, there are relatively few photography and painting works about Hengqin. I think it's worth thinking more about how we should think about this new place. Do you find new creative inspiration? ”
Care about the development of Hengqin and actively integrate into the Bay Area
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Guan Hongtao has been observing the rapid development and changes of Hengqin from a unique perspective. Guan Hongtao likes to observe the process of high-rise buildings rising from the ground. He said that watching workers work, although it seems to have nothing to do with us, is actually closely related to our lives. To this end, in the first "Art Macao" local work competition, he created a photographic installation entitled "What is Concerning Me", which was successfully selected, and the work was inspired by the construction site in Hengqin, which is closely related to the development of Macao.
"I hope that through the work "Something About Me", the inseparable relationship between people and the city can be brought out."
In the future, Kwan Hongtao has already planned to develop in other cities in the Greater Bay Area, so as to create a deeper level of the "Citylinked" series, continue to use the camera to record the development and changes of the city, add more creative elements, and explore different video stories.
This year coincides with the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region. Kwan said that he will actively respond to this meaningful theme and work with Macao's cultural and art circles to hold joint exhibitions of works in Macao and cities in the Greater Bay Area in the form of "one exhibition, two places", so as to integrate into the development of the Greater Bay Area and cooperate and exchange with artists and photographers in the Greater Bay Area. Give back to the community with the power of images.
Production: Government Information Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region
Information and photos: Macao Magazine
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