Organised by the Macao Museum of Art, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the exhibition “Above Zobeide – Art from Macao at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia” was inaugurated today (7 March) on the first floor of the Macao Museum of Art. The opening ceremony was officiated by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man; the Deputy Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Bai Bing; the President of the Macau Artist Society, Lok Hei; the exhibition artist, Wong Weng Cheong; and the curator, Chang Chan. The exhibition is not to be missed as it explores global issues from Macao’s perspective by questioning identity in a dystopia.
The President Leong Wai Man said in her speech that the exhibition which represented Macao at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia last year, has successfully showcased Macao to the world from the artistic practice. The creations of the young participating team meticulously combined their life experience from Macao and abroad, presenting the city’s cultural connotations from a unique perspective. It is of great significance that the exhibition returns to Macao, allowing residents and tourists to appreciate the contemporary creations of young Macao artists, and promoting the development of Macao’s artistic creation. In the future, IC will continue to support local artists’ creative endeavours and contribute to making “Cultural Macao” to shine even brighter in the field of arts.
Inspired by the story of “Zobeide” from Italian author Italo Calvino’s novel Invisible Cities, artist Wong Weng Cheong created the apocalyptic prophecy of “Zobeide” using digital prints and large-scale installations: mutated creatures with elongated bodies wander among desolate ruins, creating a surreal sense of oppression and apocalyptic bleakness. With surveillance cameras installed in the exhibition, as the most compelling approach, members of the public are captured as part of the works at the moment when they enter the space. This shift transforms the viewers from being external “observers” to “those being observed”. Curator Chang Chan emphasised that this design echoes Foucault’s theory of “dystopia”, which explores the established understanding of “belonging” through the interweaving of reality and illusion.
The exhibition “Above Zobeide” is held until 30 April, at the •Art Space on the first floor of the Macao Cultural Centre, and 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 the Macao Museum of Art at www.MAM.gov.mo and the “Macao Museum of Art” page on Facebook.