Rector’s Message

In 2025, the Department of Arts and Design at the University of Macau (UM) has proudly became a member institution of the Cumulus Association, the world’s leading network for art and design education and research, and has earned notable recognition from the international academic community. As a recently established department, it has made remarkable progress, launching doctoral and master’s programmes in fine arts followed by advanced degrees in design this academic year. Spanning diverse disciplines including visual communication design, industrial design, and architectural design, these programmes are undergoing rapid and vibrant growth.

For over two years, an esteemed cohort of distinguished art historians, accomplished artists, and innovative designers has enriched the faculty of the Department of Arts and Design. Together, they have formed a robust cornerstone dedicated to nurturing scholarly and creative talent with theoretical calibre for Macao and the global community. The University’s Museum of Art has hosted a series of profoundly influential art and academic exhibitions curated by these faculty members. This latest exhibition graciously invites them to present their research and creative achievements with distinction.

The works on display masterfully blend traditional and contemporary perspectives and creative approaches, as well as Eastern and Western ones. They encompass innovative ink and oil paintings rooted in classical artistic mediums, alongside graphic, installation, and video art that keenly incorporate cutting-edge technological advancements. The exhibition also features the writings, installations, and text-based artworks of contemporary historiographical scholars. Each of the thirteen participating faculty members brings their distinctive expertise, reflecting a broad academic vision and dynamic creative spirit, thereby adding a new chapter to their professional journeys and personal narratives at the University of Macau.

This exhibition embodies the University of Macau’s educational ethos of harmonising theory with practice while integrating tradition with innovation. The University remains committed to building on these accomplishments, aspiring to play an increasingly pivotal role in advancing Macao’s art and cultural industries and contributing to the city’s economic diversification. We warmly invite you to engage with this celebration of creativity and prospect.

Professor Yonghua Song
Rector, University of Macau

The Tree of Knowledge, a Shared Grove of Arts

On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition "Tree of Knowledge: Based on Great Creation" by the faculty members of the Department of Art and Design, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Macau, I would like to extend, on behalf of the University of Macau Library and Art Museum, our warmest congratulations! This "Tree of Knowledge" embodies the outstanding talent and profound scholarship of the faculty from the Department of Art and Design, and also represents another fruitful achievement of the close collaboration between the Library, the Art Museum, and various faculties.

Since its inception in May 2023, the University of Macau Museum of Art, as an integral part of the Library, has been committed to promoting art education and cultural heritage. Together with the Department of Art and Design, it has organized a series of captivating exhibitions, including the "Art Macao" Higher Education Institution Art Exhibition and "With the Sunshine across the Sea" among others. These initiatives have consistently injected vitality into art education in Macao, offering both visual and intellectual feasts for faculty, students, and the general audience.

This exhibition is particularly significant. It marks the first time the Department of Art and Design has presented its academic and creative strengths as a whole to the community. The diverse works of fourteen faculty members—spanning academic publications, printmaking, oil painting, graphic design, photography, and installation art—not only showcase individual creativity but also reflect the essence of "teaching and learning reinforcing each other" in art education. The Library and the Museum of Art are honored to have provided venue, resources, and curatorial support to help bring these thoughtful and dedicated achievements to the public.

Looking ahead, we will continue to collaborate closely with the Department of Art and Design and other academic units through the Museum of Art platform to explore new possibilities and contribute to the advancement of art education, cultural heritage, and artistic excellence at the University of Macau and in the wider Macao community. May this "Tree of Knowledge" flourish in the fertile soil of the University, continually nurturing infinite creativity, illuminating the path of academic exploration, enriching the university’s humanistic spirit, and adding brilliance to the cultural and artistic landscape of Macao and beyond.

I sincerely wish the exhibition a complete success!

(Helen) Hong Xu
University Librarian
University of Macau Library

An Ideal Beginning

In 1594, Jesuit missionaries from Europe established St. Paul’s College in Macau—the first Western-style university in the Far East. Its original site now lies beneath the Ruins of St. Paul’s. The College’s “Higher Course” encompassed disciplines such as Theology, Moral Philosophy, and “Arts” (Curso de Artes), with both Master’s and Doctoral degrees conferred. Represented by figures like Giovanni Nicolao (1560-1624), Jesuit painters began cultivating Chinese artists here. Subsequently, missionaries like Matteo Ricci, Adam Schall von Bell, Giuseppe Castiglione, Wang Zhi Cheng, and Jiang You Ren, all utilized Macau as a conduit for introducing Western art into mainland China. Meanwhile, traditional literati painters such as Wu Li, inspired by Western painting, pioneered new forms in Chinese painting.

Following centuries of dormancy, higher education in Macau experienced a revival. In 1991, the East Asian University, subsequent to its acquisition by the government, was renamed the University of Macau. In 2024, with the care and support of the Special Administrative Region Government and the leadership of the University of Macau, the newly established Department of Arts and Design at the University of Macau defined its academic mission as “Creation Based on Greatness.” It is dedicated to conducting artistic research and creation that align with Macau’s historical and cultural position in the world  a synthesis of the East and the West, the ancient and the contemporary perspectives  and has begun to enroll its first cohort of doctoral and master’s students in fine arts. A new historical phase has thus commenced.

Much like the Department’s faculty, comprised of distinguished art historians and practicing artists, the study of great artistic traditions and innovation built upon that foundation constitutes the two main pillars of the Department’s teaching and research. In this sense, the academic ideals of the Department of Arts and Design can be envisioned as a tree of knowledge. Taking the East and the West, the past and the present as its spatial-temporal coordinates, and research and creation as its two principal axes, it strives to renew and innovate upon the critical inheritance of all achievements of human civilization, rooting itself in the soil of Macau and the University of Macau, and growing into a magnificent tree with deep roots, lush foliage, and abundant fruit.

Today, this exhibition is merely an ideal beginning.

Thank you all for your presence.

Jun Li
Head of the Department of Arts and Design
Chair Professor, University of Macau