Message2019 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 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 Special Administrative Region Government PrefaceGreat cities usually develop in a similar way. After the accumulation of a certain wealth, the latter is then used to attract cultured elites to drive local artistic development. We can point out examples from ancient times such as Chang’an, Rome, Constantinople, Florence and Venice, to modern times in Paris, London and New York. During the course of economic development, Macao has naturally used its economic advantages to enhance its cultural strength. Dedicated to safeguarding cultural heritage, the Macao Government has organized a myriad of cultural and artistic events over the past three decades, including the Macao International Music Festival, the Macao Arts Festival and the Macao City Fringe Festival. On the other hand, the Government has also been promoting the development of local arts and culture, supporting the growth of local art groups through intensive cultural exchange and cooperation. Macao has been making every effort to create a “Cultural Macao”. China’s 12th and 13th Five-year Plan clearly outlined Macao’s position as “One Centre, One Platform” in terms of its development. Since then, Macao has made great progress in its economic growth, reaching a new stage in the wake of many remarkable achievements. Furthermore, the “Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” launched in 2019 further points out that “Macao’s role as a World Centre for Tourism and Leisure, as well as a platform for economic and trade cooperation between China and Lusophone countries have been strengthened, further demonstrating its position in facilitating multi-cultural exchanges.” This has clearly bestowed Macao with the historic mission of “developing into a basis for exchange and cooperation based on Chinese culture as the main key to promote the coexistence between different cultures”. From economic advancement to cultural prosperity, from “moderately economic diversity” to “harmonious cultural diversity”, these are not only important milestones in Macao’s development, but also paths through which a city must progress in order to meet with success. Culture is everyone’s business and true cultural vitality should start from the bottom up. The true exceptionality of a city must come from the concerted efforts of the government, corporations, enterprises and the residents who contribute through active participation in the development of arts and culture. The participation of the whole community is the core driving force for the sustainable development of cultural work and the cultural industries. This is exactly what we would love to see. Under the patronage of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture, “Art Macao” will be launched on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Macao’s handover to China, which marks an important transitional point. “Art Macao” will be a 5-month mega international art and cultural event organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Macao Government Tourism Office, co-organized by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau and the Higher Education Bureau, with the participation of foreign consulates accredited in Hong Kong and Macao, the six operators of hotels and integrated resorts and Nam Kwong (Group) Limited. This is not only an expansion in scale, but also a conceptual breakthrough! To warm up for this arts and cultural festival of unprecedented scale, two art exhibitions will be held: “Italian Renaissance Drawings from the British Museum” and “Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 20th Anniversary of Macao’s Return to the Motherland Beauty in the New Era——Masterpieces from the Collection of the National Art Museum of China”. Artworks from Western drawings to Chinese ink paintings by legendary figures in the world history of art, ranging from the Renaissance masters Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael to Chinese contemporary artists Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian and Fu Baoshi, will herald the commencement of the mega event Art Macao! The mega event’s highlight “Art Macao: International Art Exhibition” comprises an array of exhibitions, including the main exhibition at the Macao Museum of Art, several exhibitions organized by foreign consulates accredited in Hong Kong and Macao, art exhibitions organized by six hotels operators and integrated resorts, as well as several outdoor art installations. The exhibitions features Chinese and foreign masterpieces from different historical epochs, ranging from dazzling timeless classics by Monet, Gauguin, Wu Guanzhong and Andy Warhol to contemporary artworks, all of which are sure to impress with their insightful, intriguing, elegant, glamorous and sumptuous quality, offering the audience a memorable and highly inspiring experience. “Art Macao” also includes a number of artistic and cultural events, including major programmes of the Macao Orchestra and the Macao Chinese Orchestra 2018-2019 concert seasons, signature programmes of the Macao Cultural Centre, the International Youth Dance Festival, the International Youth Music Festival, the International Youth Drama Festival and “Growing with the SAR” – an art exhibition of Macao higher education students, as a part of series of events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Macao Special Administrative Region. “Diversity” is the theme of the first edition of the “Art Macao: International Art Exhibition” and the core value of “Art Macao”. Diversity originally referred to the variability and interaction of different species of fauna and flora for the purpose of ensuring the well-being and balance of the ecosystem. In human society, an inclusive cultural system which encourages various art forms and styles allows more members of the public to participate and attracts more quality visitors, paving the way for the growth of local arts and culture and creating a more balanced and healthy environment for the sustainable development of the city. The major difference between the arts and cultural festivals and ad hoc art exhibitions and performances is the international attention they can capture and the public participation they can engage. Undoubtedly, the former can attract more comprehensive attention and allow more people to experience different artistic and cultural manifestations throughout the city and to appreciate outstanding artworks, thereby reshaping people’s artistic impressions, arousing their creative desire and deepening the recognition of the directions in urban development. Therefore, in order to achieve its goal, “Art Macao” has fully allocated the manpower, financial and spatial resources from the resorts, hotels, foreign consulates accredited in Hong Kong and Macao and educational institutions through close coordination and has made connections with a wide range of publicity channels. “Art Macao” brings arts close by more residents and tourists from different backgrounds at more levels and in a larger scale by basing itself upon the art and cultural facilities of the Cultural Affairs Bureau and showcasing outdoor art installations in public areas. Coupled with different types of interrelated cultural activities in the line-up, the mega event creates a huge interactive network, drawing enthusiastic response from the public through the clustering effect. The intensive showcase of quality artworks will definitely attract participation from more people of different levels, boosting sophisticated cultural spending and creating more room for the development of local cultural industries. This is how cultural diversity and economic diversity facilitate and convert in each other. From early summer to mid-autumn this year, Macao will be imbued with the fascinating spirit of creativity. People will pay more attention to arts and culture, their artistic horizons will be broadened and the image of the city will be elevated. Macao may still be some way off from the status of exceptionality, but this is the goal that we are striving to achieve, allowing the world to see a more beautiful “cultural Macao”! Mok Ian Ian President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau It is with great enthusiasm that we present the debutant edition of “Art Macao”. The project we are now unveiling is a more ambitious experience, based in the established good synchronization between culture and tourism we have been developing in Macao. Anchored on Macao’s over 450 years of east-meets-west heritage listed by UNESCO, along with our calendar of events and festivities, culture has been all along a main ingredient in shaping Macao as a dynamic city and tourism destination. In recent years, we have been pushing forward the coordination of initiatives in order to link some of the main elements our city has to offer, including heritage, events, gastronomy, and more, to enrich the city’s cultural life and appeal. “Art Macao”brings this attuning of efforts one step forward, presenting an enhanced version of culture and tourism cooperation, in consonance with the Macao Special Administrative Region’s (Macao SAR) objective to build a city with quality for living and traveling, as we develop Macao into a world centre for tourism and leisure. With “Art Macao” we are introducing a comprehensive citywide arts event, involving a broad array of stakeholders. The project is a perfect example of public and private, local and international, professional and amateur partnership, and combines a multitude of art forms to suit different interests and expectations, brought to us by government, major tourism operators, professional meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) companies, consulates, educational institutions, among others. Under the patronage of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR, the several entities involved are working together to place under the same umbrella of “Art Macao” many of our arts and music festivals, while also bringing in a myriad of new art exhibitions and performances to traditional and non-traditional venues adding new life to the city. I invite our residents and visitors to experience “Art Macao” over the six months of the event, and witness Macao as a base for exchange and cooperation where Chinese culture is the mainstream and diverse cultures coexist, as aimed on the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office Art Macao“Art Macao” will be a five-month mega international arts and cultural event, featuring the “Art Macao: International Art Exhibition”, in which visual arts works will be presented at various exhibition venues in Macao, including exhibitions to be held by the Macao Museum of Art, hotels and integrated resorts, and foreign consulates. Art installations will also be displayed in outdoor public spaces, providing ideal hotspots for checking in through social media. In addition to the exhibitions, a feast of diverse musical and theatrical performances will also be presented from June on, as well as the International Youth Dance Festival, the International Youth Music Festival, the International Youth Drama Festival, and the Visual Arts Exhibitions of Macao Higher Education Institutions. From June to October this year, Macao will be imbued with artistic vitality and creativity, promising surprises at each corner. Let’s enjoy an unforgettable artistic summer full of emotions!