The mega international cultural and artistic feast “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2025” (hereinafter referred to as “Art Macao 2025”) was inaugurated in July last year, featuring nearly 30 art exhibitions in 28 locations across six sections, namely the “Main Exhibition”, the “Public Art Exhibition”, the “City Pavilion”, the “Special Exhibition”, the “Local Curatorial Project” and the “Collateral Exhibition”, as well as nearly 770 activities’ sessions of the outreach programme, the event gathered over 160 artists from about a dozen countries and regions, attracting the participation of around 5 million spectators. This year’s Biennale innovated artistic narratives, revitalised historical spaces, engaged with community dynamics and inspired cultural vitality, transforming Macao into a city of Muses where life and art resonate in harmony.
The “Art Macao”, jointly developed by the Macao SAR Government and various sectors of the local society, is an artistic event that brings together global creativity and has become a kaleidoscopic showcase of civilizations and ideas, injecting strong momentum into Macao’s development toward the “One Centre” and “One Base”.
Innovating artistic narratives of the traditional biennale, establishing a broader and more vibrant new dynamic mode of “on-site” for public art
The “Art Macao 2025” was curated by the internationally renowned chief curator Feng Boyi, and co-curated by Liu Gang and Wu Wei. They take the simple question “Hey, what brings you here?” as the theme to correspond to reality, reflecting on and exploring the history, memory and current complexities of Macao in a global context while exploring the profound meaning of the symbiosis between the individual and the world.
The Main Exhibition broke through the model of conventional exhibitions’ “white cubes” and the narrative framework of the biennale, meticulously utilising unconventional areas such as museums’ aisles and restrooms to create unique visiting routes. This approach guided the audience to reconsider the relationship between art and space, further triggering their philosophical reflections on life and existence. Many of the works in the exhibition required the participation of viewers, transforming passive observers to active participants through the actual “engagement” so as to experience the artworks. By bringing together cutting-edge creations by various internationally renowned artists, the exhibition showcased diverse cultural perspectives and contemporary artistic trends, reinforcing Macao's vital role as a platform for international artistic exchange.
The Public Art Exhibition, themed “Waves & Ways”, integrated artworks into the local cultural environment, bridging people with each other and with the city, stimulating the resonance and dialogue and reshaping the connotation and boundaries of public spaces. The exhibition vividly exemplified the interactive practice in the community, where artists conducted field observation in the neighbourhoods, draw creative inspiration from interactions with residents, utilised local materials for creation and invited residents to imagine and weave the future of the community through a series of workshops, sharing sessions, and artist-in-residency programmes. Meanwhile, interactive art installations fostered exchange among participants. These practices linked arts close to our daily lives, establishing a broader and more vibrant new dynamic mode of “on-site” for public art.
A kaleidoscopic art fair extending across the city
The “Art Macao”, jointly developed by the Macao SAR Government, enterprises, artists and the public, brought together global creativity and has become an iconic cultural tourism brand of the city. The Special Exhibition presented by the six integrated resorts offered a kaleidoscopic art fair with an unprecedented line-up and diversity of forms. In the section “City Pavilion”, the Pavilion of Vila Franca de Xira from Portugal and the Jinan Pavilion from China focused on the tension between tradition and innovation in their own cultural ecosystems.
The “Local Curatorial Project” was held through an open call which earned an enthusiastic response as a total of 36 proposals were received. Following a rigorous selection process by the jury, 6 proposals were ultimately selected for implementation, with an increase of 2 selected proposals compared to the previous edition. Some of these exhibitions also invited international artists, showcasing a global perspective while fostering dialogue between local and international art scenes. The “Local Curatorial Project” not only provides an important platform for local curators to showcase their works, but also promotes in-depth exploration and the innovative presentation of Macao themes, highlighting Macao’s profound historical and cultural heritage as well as contemporary humanistic vitality. This edition of the “Local Curatorial Project” was also associated with the Preliminary Selection for the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia – Collateral Event from Macao, China for the first time, further outlining the development path of local contemporary art to the international stage through the “Art Macao” platform.
This edition of the exhibition proposals for the “Collateral Exhibition” were selected through an open call. A total of 12 proposals were received, from which 9 proposals were selected. The “Collateral Exhibitions” were widely distributed, extending from the old district and NAPE to Cotai and the University of Macau's Hengqin campus. These included collective exhibitions by local artists, solo exhibitions by painters from Mainland China, student showcases from higher education institutions, and the Asian Digital Art Exhibition, among others, demonstrating thematic and formal diversity. Some of the exhibitions were widely acclaimed by professional critics and mass media due to their outstanding curatorial concepts and artistic expression, and continued to extend their artistic influence.
Outreach activities to inspire reflection
The organiser, integrated resorts and local arts groups and institutions jointly organised nearly 770 sessions of art exchange activities and outreach activities, with more than 15,000 participants. Through innovative approaches to art dissemination, the activities brought different types of audiences closer to art and inspired them to think in new ways, including thematic lectures and talks hosted by the Chief Curator Feng Boyi and various participating artists to explain curatorial themes and ideas, as well as various types of artistic workshops, guided tours and concerts to led audiences to gain a deeper understanding of the exhibitions. In addition, a number of exhibitions were widely covered by the media and by art critics from home and abroad, attracting audiences to learn about and participate in this cultural and artistic event. Media coverage and promotion on new media platforms reached over 10 million people.
The “Art Macao 2025”, under the patronage of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, is organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and co-organised by the Macao Government Tourism Office, Galaxy Entertainment Group, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM, Sands China Ltd., SJM Resorts, S.A. and Wynn Resorts Macau.
For more information about the event, please visit the event’s webpage at www.artmacao.mo, follow the “artmacao” account on Instagram, the “IC Art” page on Facebook, or the official WeChat account “IC_Art_Macao.”