Urban Myrrh – Leong Kit Man
Exhibition of Gongbi Painting
About the Exhibition
“Urban Myrrh – Leong Kit Man Exhibition of Gongbi Painting” features 20 pieces / sets of Leong’s Gongbi paintings created between 2024 and 2025, including the “Spices of Soul” series, which was inspired by the Silk Road’s spice trade, bringing in dried species to life on silk, depicting branches, buds, and fruits teeming with vitality. The “Innermost” series, which has recently gained recognition in various art fairs and collections, addresses the oppressive emotions of urban life, aiming to nurture the urban souls through small silk artworks. Additionally, the “Daily Apps” series that reflects on the electronic decline of urban living, depicting the habitual scrolling and browsing driven by muscle memory. Fingers frequently manipulate app icons, and whole engaging with these electronic applications, they also symbolize a toxic addition that drains personal contemplation. In her works, “Urban Myrrh” and “Daily apps – purge my Mind”, Leong states that “Modern reading habits have transformed with the rise of smartphones, turning apps into a dice-like addiction. People often find themselves helplessly wasting time on their phones, yearning for the day when they can simply toss these distractions into a bag and clear them away. Wishing to achieve a mind as calm as water and to reach a state of serenity.” Leong’s Gongbi creations reflect from personal feelings to complex imagery, her thoughts on life and the challenges of living in a busy urban environment.
Leong excels at expressing her various fantasies about contemporary life through a classic Eastern Song Dynasty aesthetic. In addition to presenting her intricate spice artworks from her debut in Rome to the audience in Macao, she has also created two new traditional Gongbi works: “Seafood Pasta” and “Dongpo Pork”. These pieces invite viewers to engage in a dual sensory experience, intertwining visual and gustatory associations.
Leong’s creations connect different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles, reflecting on the current state of circumstances while infusing a sense of tranquil antiquity. Her brushwork transcends mere silk, delving into the spiritual realm and continually reshaping the boundaries of Eastern materials. This exhibition highlights her preferred Song Dynasty aesthetic in the framing and layout, weaving together ancient and modern aesthetics in a serene and elegant atmosphere.
Leong Kit Man captures the urban soul through her fine brushwork, presenting a unique contemporary spirit of traditional craftsmanship.
Curator ：Julia Lam Tsz Kwan
Leong Kit Man (Kitman Leong)
Leong Kit Man (Kitman Leong) is a Macao-based artist and curator. A graduate from the Chinese National Academy of Arts with a PhD in Fine Arts, she is currently an Assistant Professor of Fine Arts and a Master’s and Doctoral Supervisor at the Faculty of Humanities and Arts, Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST).
Leong excels at Gongbi (meticulous) style and Mogu (boneless) heavy-colour painting, capturing various facets of life through the interplay of meticulous detail and freehand expression. Her work has been selected to the China National Art Exhibition for three consecutive times, and she is a three-time winner of Top Ten Excellent Works Award in the Annual Exhibition of Macao Visual Arts, while also winning Best Creation Award (Chinese Painting Category) in the Collective Exhibition of Macau Artists, in which she was shortlisted for awards for six times.
In recent years she has participated in exhibitions in France, Italy, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Beijing, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macao. Her works are held in the collections of government institutions such as the Macao Museum of Art and private collectors. Embrace of Love, her large-scale piece is selected as a project funded by the 2024 National Arts Fund Young Artistic Creation Talent Support Programme.
Leong Kit Man is a member of China Artists Association, Vice Chairperson of Macau Artist Society, Director of Yu Ün Chinese Calligraphers and Painters Association of Macao and Vice President of Macau Youth Art Association.
Solo Exhibitions
Chui Yun Visual Illusions: Exhibition of Works by Leong Kit Man (2022)
Innermost: Exhibition of Gongbi Painting by Leong Kit Man (2024)
Embrace of Love: Leong Kit Man’s Large-Scale Flower-and-Bird Painting Exhibition (2025)
Spices For Soul:Exhibition of GongBi Painting(2025)
Curatorial Portfolio
The Encounter of Tong Nam (2011)
Purge One’s Mind - Trio Exhibition (2017)
Meaning • Intention: Conceptual Art Exhibition (2021, 2022, 2024)
The Will at the Edge (2022)
Behind the Forms: The Aesthetics of Contemporary Art (2023)
Inheritance under Ruins of St. Paul's: An Immersive Experience of Song (2024)
________________________________
《聖母踏龍頭》
34 cm X21 cm
絹本礦物色 Mineral
梁潔雯Leong Kit Man
2024
Innermost-Parrot Flower
15X15 cm
Mineral
Leong Kit Man
2024
Spices-Cardamom
34 cm X45 cm
Mineral
Leong Kit Man
2025
Spices-Pepper
34 cm X45 cm
Mineral
Leong Kit Man
Spices-Seafood Pasta
D50cm
Mineral
Leong Kit Man
2025
Spices-Dongpo Pork
D50cm
Mineral
Leong Kit Man
2025
Urban Apron
D120cm
Mineral
Leong Kit Man
2025
Innermost-Malimalihome
33X27cm
Mineral
Leong Kit Man
2025
Daily apps -purge my Mind
D80 cm
Mineral
Leong Kit Man
2025
Daily apps - Urban Myrrh
D80 cm
Mineral
Leong Kit Man
2025
Exhibition Dates :Aug. 26, 2025 –Sep.13 , 2025
Opening Hours : 10am-7pm(Weekdays), 3pm-7pm(Sat), closed on Sundays & Public Holidays)
Location: AV. DA PRAIA GRANDE, N.749, MACAU. Rui Cunha Foundation
Opening Ceremony: Aug.27 2025 ;18:30
Organizers: Rui Cunha Foundation, Macau Youth Art Association, Macau Artist Society
Artist: Leong Kit Man (Kitman Leong)
Curator:Julia Lam Tsz Kwan