Art Macao to break ground as new type of festival

A cooperation agreement on the multi-month Art Macao festival was signed by the six casino operators and the local government yesterday at a press conference, where the program was also announced in full.

In terms of scale, Art Macao is the largest art and culture festival Macau has ever seen.

Running until October, it will be staged at a total of 33 locations across the city and is counting the participation of more than a dozen public and private entities.

With a total duration of half a year, Art Macao is to become the longest running art and culture festival in Macau to date.

As introduced by the government, the festival was planned to promote cultural tourism and add tourism products, apart from bringing various styles of arts and culture to the local community. As a result, the festival is jointly organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO).

Even though it officially starts in June, some events have already opened as pre-shows, including the exhibitions of “Italian Renaissance Drawings from the British Museum” and “Beauty in the New Era – Masterpieces from the Collection of the National Art Museum of China” at the Macao Museum of Art.

The former showcases 52 drawings by 42 Italian masters, including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, made between 1470 and 1580. The latter celebrates the aesthetics of Chinese paintings, with works by influential Chinese artists, such as Qi Baishi and Zhang Daqian, shown.

HOTELIER EVENTS

The peak of the entire festival is to be staged on June 6 at the Macao Museum of Art. This day will mark the opening of the Main Exhibition of the core event named “Art Macao: International Art Exhibition”.

It features an array of precious works picked by participating hotel operators, ranging in form from paintings to sculptures to multimedia presentations.

Meanwhile, as part of the International Art Exhibition, Galaxy Macau has pre-launched the “Grace Kelly: From Hollywood to Monaco” exhibition; a celebration of the life of Hollywood film icon Grace Kelly as an actress and later Princess of Monaco.

Six more exhibitions will be held at the other five resorts and the Riviera Hotel.

Melco is making use of its own collection, including the “Good Intentions” statue by KAWS and the “Fat Convertible” by Erwin Wurm shown at the Morpheus Hotel at the City of Dreams, to stage the “Unexpected Encounters” exhibition.

MGM is staging “Hua Yuan”, an exhibition of contemporary art of ink painting, with a large- scale multimedia installation A Metamorphosis: No End To End by Jennifer Wen Ma, and a series of other works including an one-act opera performance of Paradise Interrupted that features essential Chinese art and culture.

Sands China, living true to its Chinese name “Golden Sand”, is presenting 90 ceramic masterpieces by 27 first-class ceramic artists. The works are themed “All That’s Gold Does Glitter” and will make the largest international ceramic art exhibition within the Greater Bay Area this year.

Wynn Macau is presenting “Wynn – Garden of Earthly Delights”, which is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art pieces. These pieces have not been showcased in Macau. They will be shown in forms like painting, installation, and digital art.

SJM is commissioning artists to create a total of seven multidimensional exhibitions in various locations. It is a celebration of cultural heritage.

“Interspace”, shown at the Riviera Hotel, features works by French sculptor Gabrielle Wambaugh, reflecting the integration of space and art.

Several consulates in Macau will also join the festival by holding their respective exhibitions, and the 2nd Annual Arts Exhibition between China and Portuguese-speaking countries is set to open in July.

A MUSICAL SCORE

Parallel to the exhibitions, scores of other performances will also be staged to enrich the festival, many of them musical in nature.

Both Chinese and Western music lovers will have the chance to savor their appetite for rhythms and symphonies, with performances scheduled from both the Macao Orchestra (OM) and the Macao Chinese Orchestra (OCM) to overlap with the Art Macao festival.

The OM is closing its 2018 season with renowned pianist Kirill Gerstein for a night of music of Romanticism. Schubert’s “Ninth Symphony” will be performed. Meanwhile, the OCM will close the same season with a concert celebrating China. It will play music from literally all parts of the country.

In August, the OM will open its new season with Alban Gerhardt, internationally acclaimed cellist. The concert will feature masterpieces by Shostakovich, Dvorak, and Tchaikovsky.

Regular art festivals such as the International Youth Music Festival will also be part of Art Macao 2019. A series of exhibitions showing works from local higher education institutions will be held from June to October at respective institutions. Staff reporter