The IFTM School of Continuing Education is holding until 8 October an exhibition of cloisonné works of art by IFTM Instructor Mr. Lei Sio Fan and his students. The show is open to the public, free of charge, in the Team Building on the Mong-Há Campus.
The “Cloisonné Artworks – Art Exhibition by Lei Sio Fan and His Students” event was formally opened on 9 July. It displays a selection of 54 hand-made art pieces.
Cloisonné craftspeople use gold wire, rough-cut stones and other brightly coloured materials to make works of art. The pieces on show at IFTM are creative combinations of traditional craftsmanship and modern art.
Mr. Lei has been teaching courses in the craft of cloisonné at IFTM for several years. He says the exhibition further promotes the art form in Macao.
“Through hosting this type of event, we pass on this traditional art technique, as well as help modernise it, helping cultural diversification in Macao,” Mr. Lei says.
Mr. Lei is President of the Macao Society for Education in Art. He studied the craft of cloisonné in Guangzhou, in the neighbouring province of Guangdong.
Mr. Lei commends the work of his students: “I can see that they’ve really put effort into it,” he says.
The exhibition shows work by several batches of students taking the cloisonné course at IFTM. The course was first taught in 2016.
Acting Vice-Director of the IFTM School of Continuing Education Dr. Cora Wong Un In says the cloisonné course and the exhibition are part of a wider effort by the Institute to support the development of cultural and creative industries in Macao, to help make the economy more diverse.
“IFTM provides educational resources and opens courses to help in talent cultivation,” she says. “To achieve economic diversification, talent is needed.”
The IFTM School of Continuing Education offers courses in creative accomplishments other than the craft of cloisonné. Those range from abstract painting to classical painting in oils, to photography, to Chinese calligraphy.
IFTM also makes regular contributions to culture and the arts in Macao by holding exhibitions on the Mong-Há Campus. Admission is free for all. Some show the work of Macao artists that teach at the IFTM School of Continuing Education, and the work of the students they teach.
Dr. Wong says the holding at IFTM in 2020 of various exhibitions and other art events had to be suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “As the situation is more stable now, we are in full gear to host exhibitions,” she says.
The School of Continuing Education is also coming up with new programmes, Dr. Wong says. “We are trying to provide more diversified courses,” she states. One new course due to be started soon focuses on ‘L’ecrin Flower’, an art form that uses flowers specially dried to preserve their colour and shape, arranging them in display boxes.
