Artistic echoes from Venice to Macao
“Above Zobeide” opens on Friday in Macao
Organised by the Macao Museum of Art, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, “Above Zobeide – Art from Macao at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia” will be inaugurated on 7 March at 6:30pm on the first floor of the Macao Museum of Art. Jointly created by young Macao artist Wong Weng Cheong and curator Chang Chan, who represented Macao, China at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2024, the exhibition will present outstanding works to the general public.
The exhibition is inspired by the fictional city of desire “Zobeide” from Italian author Italo Calvino’s novel Invisible Cities. Wong Weng Cheong combines digital prints with immersive art installations to construct a post-apocalyptic dystopia, where a deserted city is inhabited by mutated herbivorous creatures with elongated bodies distancing themselves from food sources, symbolising the imbalance between human civilisation and the natural environment. With surveillance cameras installed in the exhibition, members of the public are captured as part of the works at the moment when they enter the space, blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction. The curator Chang Chan points out that this creation echoes the theme of this edition of the biennale, “Foreigners Everywhere”, exploring the concept of “foreigners” and the apocalyptic anxieties of the contemporary society through displacement of identity and spatial alienation.
Since 2007, this is the ninth time that Macao has participated in the La Biennale di Venezia. “Above Zobeide” reflects the concerns of young Macao artists from “regional narratives” to “global issues” through the artistic practices from the perspectives of global citizen. The exhibition attracted nearly 77,000 visitors during the biennale, and it is of great significance that the exhibition returns to Macao, allowing residents and tourists to appreciate the contemporary creations of young Macao artists. The exhibition is held until 30 April, at the •Art Space of the Macao Cultural Centre.
The Macao Museum of Art is open daily from 10am to 7pm (last admission at 6:30pm), including on public holidays, and is closed on Mondays. Admission is free. For more information about the exhibition, please visit the website of Macao Museum of Art at www.MAM.gov.mo and the “Macao Museum of Art” page on Facebook.