This exhibition showcases a selection of works collected over the years, or decades, by three local collectors, namely artist and scholar Ung Vai Meng, architect Irene Ó and curator Margarida Saraiva.  This unusual exhibition seeks to address the nature of collecting and to stimulate a visual conversation about cultural possessions by individuals with very specific and highly personal interests. These three collectors share their thoughts on what and why they collect artworks and the importance of this long-term habit.

Curator’s Statement

Collecting is a basic human instinct for survival, and when we went from being a nomadic species to a sedentary one, we began to collect not only food items, but also utensils, which then inspired other forms of recording, such as paintings on cave walls…

This exhibition presents a selection of works collected over years, even decades, by three local personalities: two architects from different generations and an artist-turned-scholar. This unusual exhibition seeks to address the nature of collecting and to stimulate a visual conversation about cultural possessions by individuals with very specific and highly personal interests.

These three collectors share their thoughts on what and why they collect artworks and the importance of this long-term habit. By revealing their beloved artworks that adorn their most intimate space – their homes – the exhibition unravels some ideas about collecting art, while aiming to promote collecting as a cultural asset that begins with an individual’s initiative, but can lead to a broader sense of shared wealth, a healthy society, diversification of the local economy (art trade in general), and the nurturing of local and international talent.

The three collections couldn’t be more different, and just as three minds have their own opinions on the same subject, each collection reflects a facet of the collector’s personality.

Vai Meng is an artist and a scholar, yet he still practices both vocations with great passion and strong motivation. He is exhibiting a collection of Chinese ancestral portraits that he has been researching for over 20 years, completing a doctorate and publishing a valuable book on the subject.

Irene started collecting art when she was 19 years old, it happened during a drawing class where she was the model and at the end of the session one of her classmates generously offered her the charcoal drawing, a portrait of herself (on display in the exhibition). Most of her collection has a deep sentimental value, linked to family and friends.

Margarida Saraiva and her husband, Tiago Quadros, have been involved in curating and promoting the cultural scene in Macau and abroad, so it is natural that their collection is based on their relationship with many artists. On the other hand, some of the works on display were inherited from Tiago’s father, António Quadros Ferreira, a Portuguese painter and professor emeritus at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto.

João Ó

Art Collectors 

Photo credit: Macaulink / Antonio Sanmarful

Ung Vai Meng was born in Macau where he received artistic training from Master Kam Cheong Ling. In 1991, he was awarded with the scholarship from Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macau and studied at AR.CO in Lisbon. He completed his master degree at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, and in 2010, he obtained his doctoral degree in the Art History from the China Academy of Art.

In 1999, Ung Vai Meng was designated as the first director of the Macau Museum of Art. In 2010, he was appointed as the president of Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macau, and now, Vai Meng is the distinguished guest professor and doctoral mentor of Macau University of Science and Technology.  In 2019, he formed the “YiiMa” art group with artist Chan Hin Io. In 2022, the “YiiMa” art group represented the Macau Special Administrative Region in the 59th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia.

Photo credit: Chan Hin Io

Irene Ó is the founder and principal architect of O.BS Aquitectos, a contemporary Portuguese architecture firm, established in Macau for more than 40 years, handling building development projects and interior design from feasibility studies to construction.  Irene Ó together with her husband, António Bruno Soares, are one of the unavoidable figures in the construction of Macau’s contemporary architectural landscape, with signatures on the Macau Cultural Centre, the BNU headquarters building, the Hotel Bela Vista (currently the Residence of Consul General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong), the Military Club and the United Nations Software Institute, to name but a few.

In 1999, she received the professional merit medal from the Macau Government. Irene has always incorporated artworks by local and international artists into the interiors of every building the company has designed, promoting the appreciation of art in architectural spaces.

Photo credit: Ieong Man Pan

Margarida Saraiva is a researcher, curator and educator. She works between Asia and Europe and between arts and cultures. Saraiva co-founded BABEL – Cultural Organization (2013), initiating projects such as Influxus (2013-2016), New Visions (2013-2019), MAP – Macau Architecture Promenade (2015) and SOS – Stolen Objects Stories (2021/2022). In 2022, she established BABEL in Alcobaça, where she founded Central-Periférica – Center for Artistic Research. In 2023, Margarida Saraiva was chief curator of the Europe-China Literature Festival in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou. Margarida Saraiva is a PhD candidate in Philosophy, Art and Critical Thinking at the European Graduate School (Switzerland/Malta). She completed the “Curating the Contemporary” course at Goldsmith University, at the British School of Rome (Italy), and the MA in European Cultural Planning and Policies at De Montfort University, Leicester (U.K.). She attended a post-graduate course in Museology and has a degree in History from the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Porto.

Supporter: Cultural Development Fund of the Macao SAR