“Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”, themed “To Create for Well-being”, features a total of 30 large-scale exhibitions. In order to break spatial and geographical boundaries and enhance the interactive experience between the public and the artworks, “Art Macao” establishes an online exhibition platform and showcases a new artwork “Art Fitting” by technology artist Chen Baoyang, integrating Augmented Reality (AR) technology with arts. “Art Fitting” is a mobile application that allows the public to experience a parallel world beyond physical exhibitions after downloading it.
Chen Baoyang, a technology artist and curator, obtained a master’s degree from Columbia University. He explores the relationship between technology, artists and the public through the research on the ontology of technology. His research has been published in conferences and journals of the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He has also held several solo exhibitions in various venues in Mainland China, including Cc Foundation & Art Centre in Shanghai, Quantum Gallery, K11 in Wuhan and Gallery Yang in Beijing.
“Art Fitting” comes from a mathematical term, “fitting”, which refers to a method of connecting a series of points on a plane with a smooth curve that contains an infinite number of possibilities. The artist reflects the idea of “Art Macao” in connecting the whole world with creativity by means of “fitting” and its significance, linking various exhibition venues in different places in Macao and reconnecting the world through arts in the post-pandemic era.
To enter the artist’s imaginative space, the public can download the application “Art Fitting” and visit the nine designated exhibition spaces of “Art Macao”. They can appreciate and experience the artworks in augmented reality through space scanning, or choose to enjoy the AR experience “offsite”. The application “Art Fitting” has a variety of features, including map navigation, instructions and an introduction to the exhibitions of “Art Macao”. The application will be constantly updated and has an interface in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, English and Portuguese. Residents and tourists can download it for free by searching for “Art Fitting” in the App Store and Google Play stores, and take photos.
Under the patronage of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture and the Secretariat for Economy and Finance, “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021” is organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Macao Government Tourism Office, and co-organized by the Education and Youth Development Bureau, Galaxy Entertainment Group, Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited, MGM, Sands China Ltd., SJM RESORTS, LIMITED, Wynn Macau, Limited, and Nam Kwong (Group) Company Limited. The Cultural Affairs Bureau and participating entities will strictly follow the relevant guidelines of the Health Bureau and implement appropriate measures. All participants must wear face masks, undergo temperature checks, present a valid “Macao Health Code” of the day, and follow crowd control measures on-site. Admission to all activities is free.
For more information, please visit the respective webpage at www.artmacao.mo, its official Instagram account “artmacao”, “IC Art” page on Facebook, and WeChat account “IC_Art_Macao”.