Door God (Right) – The Oriental God of Health – Hygeia
右門神 – 東方醫神 – 許癸厄亞

150cm x 100cm

Polymer Acrylic
18K Gold Leaf

高份子塑膠彩
18K金箔

2020

How come the Menshen is in a western style? In some churches of Macau, there are saint families in a Chinese costumes that were made in Ming and Qing Dynasties. This is the localization of religion, which is similar to using a dialect to preach. But what is the meaning of using two Greek Gods as the Menshen? It is a Chinese practice to use Menshen to keep the house safe. Vesta in Greece is the goddess of the home, and the Menshen of artists are the god of medicine and wealth. It sounds quite critical? No, one is a bitter person with a sickly body before canonization, while another one is the land mother or the child of the nether world – Guarding silently in the deep. Anyway, it is so desperate.

Curator
Lei Lai

洋涇濱的門神是什麼鬼？在澳門的教堂裡，有明清製的、中式裝素的聖家族，那是宗教的在地化，和方言講道是一個道理。可兩個希臘神的像作為門神卻是什麼道理？以門神來保家宅平安是中國的作法，希臘的Vesta是灶神。藝術家的門神是醫神和財神。聽上去挺批判？不是的，他們一個是悲苦凡人易病的身軀的封聖，另一個是地母或幽冥的孩子 — 沉默、淵深處的持守。不論怎樣，反正很喪就對了。

策展人
雷徠