Message
Mio Pang Fei stands as a defining figure in Macao’s art history. With a vision that seamlessly connects East and West while inviting the past to converse with the present, he blazed a trail for the concept of ‘Neo-Orientalism’. His creations have infused the local art scene with vibrant energy and highlighted Macao’s unique identity as a meeting point of Chinese and Western cultures.
In celebration of the 90th anniversary of the birth of the artist, the Cultural Affairs Bureau presents a comprehensive exploration of his creative odyssey, tracing over 50 years of artistic achievements and the ideas that shaped them. This journey comes to life in the exhibition East-West Contemplations: A Retrospective of Mio Pang Fei. The exhibition gathers 90 works spanning painting, mixed media, installations, and manuscripts, unfolding like a living artistic biography of Mio’s distinctive vision, where East meets West and eras intertwine. This visual celebration of abstract art is arranged in six immersive sections: ‘Shanghai – Experiment’, ‘Macao – Practice’, ‘The Shui Hu Series’, ‘On Human Condition’, ‘Post-Calligraphy’, and ‘The Legacy of Neo-Orientalism’. In the final section, a recreated studio atmosphere – enriched with photographs, documentary footage, and a detailed chronology – offers visitors a glimpse into Mio’s creative environment and ideological context.
Born in Shanghai, Mio Pang Fei made Macao his home in the early 1980s. His early years were shaped by Western modern painting, followed by a deep immersion into the traditions of Chinese painting and calligraphy. Years of reflection and refinement led him, after settling in Macao, to channel his insights into art that thrived in the city’s vibrant, multicultural environment. Here, he forged a style that interwove East and West together, crystallising his vision in the concept of Neo- Orientalism. Through abstract forms and the fusion of Eastern motifs with Western Modernist ideas, he revitalised Macao’s art scene and embodied the city’s spirit as a cultural crossroads.
Mio’s bond with the Macao Museum of Art runs deep. He authored Fifteen Years of Modern Art in Macao: 1985 – 1999, charting the evolution of the city’s contemporary art. The Museum also selected him to represent Macao as an exhibiting artist at the prestigious Venice Biennale in Italy.
To honour both the artist and his legacy, the Cultural Affairs Bureau presents this exhibition as a tribute to Mio Pang Fei’s remarkable impact on Macao’s arts. Visitors are invited to retrace his creative path and discover his sweeping vision – one that unites East and West through art and bridges generations.
President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government
Deland, Leong Wai Man