Organised by the Macao Museum of Art (MAM) under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), and co-organised by the Architects Association of Macau, the award ceremony for the “18^th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia – Collateral Event from Macao, China” Open Call for Exhibition Proposals was held on 5 December at the Auditorium of the Macao Museum of Art. The President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man and the President of the General Assembly of the Architects Association of Macau, Ben Leong Chong In, presented the awards. The wining team of the Gold Prize proposal “RE-CALIBRATION – In Search of a New Critical Regionalism”, composed of Jimmy Wardhana, as well as Choi Wan Sun, Lin Ian Neng and Tong Tou U, will participate in the Exhibition in Italy in May next year, stepping on the global stage on behalf of Macao.

The open call attracted participation from nine teams in the architectural circle, and three finalists were selected after several rounds of rigorous evaluation by the organiser. The winning proposal of the Gold Prize “RE-CALIBRATION”, uses “line” as an element to link through the urban development of Macao and creates a spatial experience. The exhibition proposal features architecture from traditional Lingnan-style, running through the distinctive style subsequently shaped with the Portuguese influence to the international style that emerged and the exotic revival that flourished in the 20^th century, and concluding with the future laboratory. The exhibition aims to explore the urban and architectural evolution of Macao and echo the theme of the Biennale “The Laboratory of the Future” and will be open in Venice in May 2023 to showcase the urban appeal of Macao. In addition, the proposal “Bamborella” by Alexandre Leong Marreiros was awarded the Silver Prize, and the proposal “Earth Life: Separation and Convergence” by Sou Un Teng was awarded the Bronze Prize.

The “International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia is the largest and most influential architectural event worldwide and an important platform for architectural and cultural exchange around the globe. IC has been organising the participation of teams of relevant practitioners in this international event under the name of “Macao, China” since 2014, and hopes that the collateral event presented by Macao, China this year will continue to shine, showcasing the diverse appeal of Macao’s architecture to the world and inspiring the visitors to conceive the future throughpractice in the exhibition “RE-CALIBRATION”.