The public art exhibition of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2025” will be inaugurated in late September. The “Talk & Dialogue: The Public Nature of Public Art” will be held on 24 September (Wednesday) from 7pm to 8:30pm. All are welcome to participate.
With Feng Boyi serving as the chief curator, and Liu Gang and Wu Wei as the co-curators, the public art exhibition, themed “Waves & Ways”, integrates art into urban spaces and daily lives, inviting visitors to imagine new possibilities for public spaces as they walk and pause to contemplate. It also echoes the theme of this Biennale “Hey, what brings you here?”, inviting visitors to weave the emotional fabric of the city together. The public art exhibition integrates 5 pieces/sets of artworks by 9 renowned artists from home and abroad into the urban dynamics, including the Community Co-Creation and Mutual-Aid Project of San Mei On first run in July and August; the artwork Time Tower created to commemorate Macao’s designation as a “Culture City of East Asia 2025”; and the artworks Borrowed Hands, Merchants and Warriors and Not Terminal, which are scheduled to be unveiled simultaneously on the opening day.
In order to deepen the public’s understanding of public art, the “Talk & Dialogue: The Public Nature of Public Art” will be held from 7pm to 8:30pm on 24 September (Wednesday) at the Auditorium on the first floor of the Macao Museum of Art. The curator and moderator Wu Wei will discuss how to cultivate a broad, freshly dynamic and vibrant new approach to “presential” public art with participating artists Ann Hamilton, Yin Xiuzhen, Jason Ho, Assemble, Chief Curator Feng Boyi and Co-Curator Liu Gang. The talk will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation in Mandarin available. Individuals aged 13 or above can register for the talk through the “Activity Applications” of the Macao One Account (activity.mo.gov.mo/activity-h5/activity-list-web) from 10am on 5 September to 19 September. If the number of registrants in the talk exceeds the maximum number of participants, participants will be selected by drawing lots. Successful registrants will be notified by SMS.
Renowned American public artist Ann Hamilton is known for her large multimedia installations, public projects and performance collaborations. Her work for the public art exhibition this year, Borrowed Hands, artistically reconstructs the historical memories of Sino-Western trade in multiple media at the Dom Pedro V Theatre. Chinese contemporary artist Yin Xiuzhen is acclaimed for the strong personal style showcased in her artworks and has created the interactive video installation Not Terminal for this exhibition. Conceived by Australian architect, artist and educator Jason Ho, the Community Co-Creation and Mutual-Aid Project of San Mei On aims to facilitate community connections through artistic initiatives and interactive workshops. British multi-disciplinary collective Assemble is adapt at revitalizing urban spaces through community collaborations and creative designs and has created Merchants and Warriors for this exhibition to explore the relationships between land and humanity. Chief curator Feng Boyi is an active independent curator and art critic from China who is dedicated to curating Chinese contemporary art exhibitions. Co-curator Liu Gang, an artist and founder of a creative brand, upholds the curatorial concept of building on local soil while maintaining international horizons and is dedicated to fostering exchange between Chinese and foreign cultures. Co-curator Wu Wei is committed to studying the local practices of contemporary art and the evolution of artistic language in cross-cultural contexts.
“Art Macao 2025” is organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau under the patronage of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, and co-organised by the Macao Government Tourism Office, Galaxy Entertainment Group, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM, Sands China Ltd., SJM Resorts, S.A. and Wynn Resorts Macau. For more information about “Art Macao 2025”, please visit the event’s webpage at www.artmacao.mo, follow the “artmacao” page on Instagram, the “IC Art” page on Facebook, or official WeChat account “IC_Art_Macao”.
