Preface
Graphic design is a visual communication language unique to humankind. Different regions and cultural contexts bring distinct features to this visual communication language. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, modern Western design has developed in a vigorous, widespread manner. In Asia – especially in Japan and Hong Kong and other countries and regions undergoing rapid economic development – graphic design developed exponentially throughout the 1960s and 1970s. By contrast, Mainland China was a latecomer to graphic design and did not become active in this sphere until the 1980s. Rapid economic development in China, due to internal reform and its opening-up policy, meant that graphic design on the Mainland was able to make great strides while the graphic design works of Macao and Taiwan were distinguished by their own native features. Since the 1990s, the work of Chinese designers has received increasing attention from the international design industry.
It is obvious that Chinese designers have started to focus their vision on exploring their own traditions and culture and have incorporated them into a visual language of design. This means that Chinese designers regard the recognition and contemplation of their own identity as a starting point, and thus they enter the creation of design from a unique perspective. The recognition and exploration of Asian culture has not only enabled Chinese designers to embrace their own unique style of creation, but also has provided Western designers with a better comprehension of China’s rich cultural background.
The Macao Museum of Art under the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau of Macao has been actively engaged in promoting local art creation while introducing definitive works of art from domestic and overseas designers to Macao audiences. At the same time, the Museum seeks to play a bridging role in promoting Chinese art abroad.
Last year, the Macao Museum of Art and the Moravian Gallery in Brno jointly organised the ‘Work from China – Contemporary Graphic Design Exhibition’ at the 22nd International Biennale of Graphic Design Brno 2006, which was a resounding success. Today, we are delighted to cooperate once again with the Moravian Gallery and the Union of Graphic and Visual Artists in Pilsen in hosting ‘Terra Incognita – Contemporary Graphic Design in China’. The exhibition has invited a total of 26 designers from Mainland China, Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and expects that these strongly atmospheric Chinese works will introduce a completely new visual dimension to the Czech people.
On behalf of the Macao Museum of Art, I express my sincere gratitude to the Union of Graphic and Visual Artists in Pilsen for their invitation, and to the Moravian Gallery for jointly hosting this exhibition. I would also like to extend my warmest regards to the City of Pilsen and the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Hong Kong and Macao for their unstinting support.
Ung Vai Meng
Director of the Macao Museum of Art