Artist Behind MOONLIGH SPLENDOUR SJM Lantern Festival

The “MOONLIGHT SPLENDOUR – SJM Lantern Festival” will take place from 21 September to 10 November at both the Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau (“Grand Lisboa Palace”) and Grand Lisboa Hotel, offering free admission to visitors. SJM is taking the festival to new heights this year by inviting acclaimed artists from Asia to be joined by Macau’s very own creative artists to showcase their large-scale lantern installations for locals and visitors to enjoy. Additionally, it serves as a platform for local and international artists to exchange ideas, further advancing the development of Macau‘s cultural industry. The quartet of Asian artists participating include:

Rukkit – Thailand

Rukkit is a a graphic designer and street artist. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. He started creating street art in 2011, with applied stencil, in a colourful and geometric style. He has left his mark on many cities around the world including Dubai, India, Japan, South Korea and Thailand. He has also collaborated with many Thai and world-renowned brands such as Nike, Casio, Toyota, Lacoste Live, Be@rbrick Medicomtoy, Seiko, Starbucks, Nissan and more.

ANTZ – Singapore

ANTZ is a versatile urban artist known for his unique and artistic style. Drawing inspiration from Chinese mythology and legendary folklore, his works seamlessly merge traditional Chinese art and Pop Art. With his in-depth knowledge of design and respect for Chinese culture and aesthetics, he has risen to prominence in the art world and has traveled all over the world including China, Southeast Asia, North America and Europe. He has also worked with world-renowned brands such as Neiman Marcus, OCBC Bank, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Sentosa, Facebook and more.

Luo Zongjie (RUOB) – China

RUOB is a well-known graffiti artist, a collaborator with major brands and IP creator. Since 2012, he has created exclusive IPs for more than 10 years. He has been invited to participate in hundreds of graffiti art or street cultural activities, and has completed hundreds of works all across Mainland China. In 2018, RUOB graduated from the Sculpture Department at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, with works covering sculptures, inflatable models, graffiti, toys, illustrations, animation, multimedia and a variety of other art forms. In 2020, he ventured into the art trading market with his works being showcased in art galleries across Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and other destinations. He has also been invited to participate in major art exhibitions and auctions while collaborating with many well-known fashion brands both at home and abroad.

Rainbo Peng – Hong Kong

After becoming a street artist in 2006, Rainbo also pursued other forms of art projects including giant street murals, acrylic oil paintings, ceramics, sculptures, bronze castings and designer toys. Over the years, her unique understanding of traditional culture has become the cornerstone of her creations, where she portrays simplicity, innocence, nature and balance throughout her work. She prefers producing art by hand rather than digitally because handmade artworks give people a greater sense of warmth and offer a more human touch.

Yolanda Kog – Macau

Yolanda is a freelance illustrator and art tutor who has participated in publishing numerous picture books and journals. She often collaborates with various art associations, schools, magazines as well as brands, while also holding many solo exhibitions and joint art exhibitions both at home in Macau and abroad. In recent years, she has focused on illustrations and independent publishing. In 2020, she received the Excellence Award in the Graphic Illustrations Works category of the 5th Macau International Contemporary Illustrations Competition, and won the Gold Award Certificate in the China ILLUSTRATION BIENNALE 2021-2022. In 2022, she was recognised on the long list of the World Illustration Awards 2022 in the exploration category, and received the Merit Award from the 9th Hiii Illustration International Competition.

Hera Ieong – Macau

An active member of the art community, Hera is an art educator, curator, Chairman of the Hou Sheung Printing Society, Vice Chairman of the Hou Kong Printing Society, Vice Chairman of the Macau Association of Calligraphy and Sculpture of Seals, and Vice Chairman of the Macau Youth Art Association. She earned a BA in Painting and Calligraphy Arts from the National Taiwan University of Arts and graduated with an MA in Plastic Art. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Contemporary Visual Culture from the Department of Fine Arts. Her early works were primarily paintings with oriental media and seal carvings, and has used various forms of multimedia including photography, installation, video and more to explore a variety of psychological states of a foreigner. Her art pieces have been exhibited in Macau, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, the United States and Portugal. She has also held two solo exhibitions in Taiwan titled “Exotic” and “Exotic, Alienated,

Carlo Lio – Macau

Influenced by Macau‘s Chinese and Western culture since his early childhood, Carlo decided to pursue a career in the arts during high school. In 2014, he graduated from the Department of Sculpture at the National Taiwan University of Arts, majoring in stone sculpture. In 2017, he travelled to Germany and Italy to study traditional stone carving techniques and he is currently studying his PhD at his alma mater where he also serves as a teaching assistant for the stone carving workshop at the Department of Sculpture. In 2021 and 2022, he was selected to participate in the “Sculptors Training Project in Hualien” organised by the Hualien Cultural Affairs Bureau. He has also contributed to various art projects, including the maintenance of the diocese icons at St. Joseph’s Seminary and Church, and served as an instructor for the “Art Education Snowball Project—Visual Arts” (“藝術教育雪球計劃──視覺藝術全接觸”) organised by the Macao SAR Education and Youth Development Bureau. Committed toward becoming a multi-faceted artist, today he spends his time creating stone carvings and carrying out professional research.

Wing Pun – Macau

Director of the Macau Youth Art Association, freelance theatre artist, as well as a certified Zentangle teacher in the United States. She is currently studying PhD at Taipei National University of Arts, where she is majoring in stage design and minoring in technical and lighting design at the university’s Department of Theatrical Design & Technology. She graduated from the Macao Polytechnic University, majoring in fine arts and oil painting. She was a student of local artist Lio Hak Man and specialized in using symbolism to express personal emotions in her paintings and designs. Throughout her career, she has worked as an administrative secretary for the Macau Artist Society; an instructor of painting classes in schools and education centers as well as an instructor and event planner for children’s drama productions. She also represented the Macao SAR by participating in the 45th Worldskills Competition in Kazan, Russia where she won ninth place. In 2013, she received the “Western Painting Rookie Award” at the XXIX Collective Exhibition of Macau Artists.

Yanlas Sou – Macau

Actively engaged in children’s art education, Yanlas graduated from the Macao Polytechnic University, where she majored in education from the School of Visual Arts. She specialised in sculptures and has a strong passion about ceramics and the exploration of various media forms. She has often participated in a number of joint exhibitions in Macau and abroad. Her works have been selected for the 12th and 13th National Art Exhibitions; the 2017 China East Lake Young Artists Invitational Exhibition; the 2014 China Changchun World Sculpture Conference – Chinese Contemporary Youth Sculpture Exhibition, as well as the 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2019 Macao Visual Art Annual Exhibitions.