2019 is a momentous year for Macao as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region. It is also a time to further our development as a world centre of tourism and leisure. To echo this celebratory time, the Macao Special Administrative Region Government has the honour to present the mega international art and cultural event Art Macao! Since April this year, outstanding exhibitions on the Italian Renaissance and Chinese modern and contemporary masters form an exciting prelude to the first edition of Art Macao.
Officially inaugurated in June, Art Macao is a half-year-long initiative in which we have taken the lead to bring together hotel and resort operators, consular missions in Hong Kong and Macao, to organize exhibitions in the Macao Museum of Art and various hotel and resort venues. Besides masterpieces by Chinese and overseas renowned artists, several outdoor installation art works are also prominently featured. In tandem with these exhibitions are highlights of the Macao Orchestra and the Macao Chinese Orchestra concert seasons, Macao Cultural Centre signature programmes, international youth festivals and visual arts exhibitions in higher education institutions in town.
From June to October this year, Macao will be imbued with an exuberant atmosphere and cultural vitality that are bound to amaze residents and tourists alike with an unforgettable artistic summer experience.
The new “Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” has tasked Macao with the goal to “develop into a base for exchange and cooperation with Chinese culture as the mainstream and the coexistence of different cultures.” This strategic positioning provides enormous momentum for Art Macao to grow and flourish. We appreciate the efforts of all participating parties in mobilizing their resources in order to put together different forms of visual and performing arts for this event. With Macao's unique advantages in the region, we believe that Art Macao will contribute to the promotion of high aesthetic sense and humanistic spirit. This will in turn generate new driving forces to explore and develop the art and culture landscape of Macao.
As the Chinese proverb goes, “art evokes empathy and culture connects people”. Through culture, we hope to continue to enrich the life of our residents, deepening Macao as the exchange centre of Eastern and Western cultures and maintaining the connection to the Mainland and the rest of the world. We believe that this pursuit will support and contribute to the “Belt and Road Initiative”, as well as the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
On behalf of the Macao SAR Government, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Galaxy Entertainment Group, Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd., MGM, Sands China Ltd., Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, S.A. (SJM), Wynn Macau, Limited, Nam Kwong (Group) Company Ltd. and the consulates accredited in Hong Kong and Macao such as that of Portugal, Japan, Italy, Belgium, and Hungary. Besides bringing in more artists and involving more residents and visitors, their active participation generates greater diversity and wider impacts on an extended audience for Art Macao. On this illustrious occasion, let's join hands and work together to promote the cultural prosperity and excellence of Macao, a city that bears the unique testimony of sparks between Chinese and other cultures.
Alexis Tam Chon Weng
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the
Macao S.A.R. Government