The World Press Photo Exhibition at Casa Garden has been closed since October 1, the Times has learned, with no indication that it will reopen before its scheduled conclusion on October 18.
Local organizer Casa de Portugal em Macau (CPM), which has hosted the prestigious exhibition since 2008, said the closure took place because of “management reasons.”
The World Press Photo Exhibition was supposed to be open from September 25 to October 18, according to the website of the World Press Photo Foundation, closed only on Mondays. However, sources have informed the Times that the exhibition may have closed just days after its inauguration.
October 1 is National Day, a public holiday that commemorates the formal establishment of the People’s Republic of China. It is an important date in the calendar, when Chinese authorities are particularly sensitive to criticism of the country or party.
This year’s exhibit is considered controversial by some because the work of one of the nominees for World Press Photo Story of the Year portrays the social unrest in Hong Kong during the anti-government protests of last year.
A representative of CPM yesterday confirmed the exhibition’s closure with the Times, citing “management reasons” as being behind the decision without elaborating. The representative would not confirm how long the exhibition had been closed, nor whether it would reopen.
A person guarding the exhibition at Casa Garden told the Times that all of the photographic exhibits were still inside the venue, but would not comment on any individual artwork.
The Casa Garden venue managed by CPM is the only site in Chinese territory to host the exhibition this year, although organizers have not ruled out expanding to other Chinese cities at a later stage.
The Macau Daily Times contacted the World Press Photo Foundation yesterday, however nobody was immediately available to comment on the closure.
Earlier, CPM told the Macau Daily Times that this year might be the exhibition’s last in Macau. According to CPM President Amelia António, the association might have to suspend the 2021 exhibition because of the costs involved. CPM says bringing the exhibition to Macau costs around MOP200,000 annually.
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