Special Exhibition of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”
20 July 2021 – 2 January 2022

Following on the “Grace Kelly: From Hollywood to Monaco – Artists’ Tributes” exhibition in 2019, Galaxy Entertainment Group presents “JUXTAPOSE” in support of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021” (www.artmacao.mo).

Art Macao 2021, a mega art biennale led by the Institute for Cultural Bureau of Macao SAR Government, returns this year with the theme of “To Create for Well-being”.  Since the dawn of civilisation, art, as mankind’s creative outpouring, has reflected the cultural and emotional sensibilities of contemporary technologies and ways of seeing the world.  It has also been the force driving not only individual growth, but also social harmony.

“JUXTAPOSE”, presented as a Special Exhibition of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”, is a homage to the rich history of Macao, with over four centuries of heritage, and is set to arouse collective memory and emotions.

While wandering around Macao’s famous sites and narrow streets, Malaysian artist Tang Mun Kian, with his artist’s insights, drew sketches peppered with witty and humorous touches to capture the city’s historical and cultural scenery.  In turn, these selected sketches were turned into steel sculptures encapsulating Macao’s tangible and intangible cultural heritages, each of which silently narrates a thousand words of the city’s long history, from historical sites, architecture and religious sites, to people, local cuisine, its people, and their life stories.  Some of these historical narratives live on only through recalling memories and conversations with the local community.

To the passing visitors or tourists, maybe the pieces are merely amusing or whimsical, whereas for locals, there may be a whole different layer of humour revealed; and to appreciate the humour fully, it may perhaps be necessary to understand the culture of the city in more depth.

So, with Juxtapose being the name of our exhibition, we set the two-dimensional world of cartoons against the real-world buildings and cultural relics of Macao.  This “juxtaposition” represents the rich mix of everyday comparisons and contrasts ever present in Macao – east to west, traditional to contemporary, historical to modern…

Unlike a tourist’s guidebook, “JUXTAPOSE” calls on us to appreciate the importance of preserving the old, and through the artist’s flair and humour, helps us to view the importance of conservation as an investment in our community, which will reward us through leaving our community with an invaluable resource for future generations.

The Galaxy Entertainment Group Foundation, with its initiative of sharing the Group’s success and helping the city’s community to continue to develop and grow through nurturing our next generation of young people, is proud to organize the exhibition, along with its evolving arts and cultural initiative which will continue to take place at GalaxyArt throughout the years to come.

Take the time to discover, enjoy and smile!

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Cultural Affairs Bureau        Macao Government Tourism Office

Tang Mun Kian
…the artist behind the Stories in Steel presented at Juxtapose

Tang Mun Kian – an artist, a designer and a cartoonist.  A graduate of the Malaysian Institute of Art, Tang worked as an advertising art director for a decade in Singapore before moving his base to Kuala Lumpur.

Tang Mun Kian adorns many street corners and strategic locations all over George Town, Penang, with his caricature sculptures.  He and his team at Sculptureatwork Studio won the design idea contest held by the Penang Island Municipal Council to celebrate George Town being inscribed in the list of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.  Their winning idea based on the concept “voices from the people” was then presented through over 50 steel sculptures installed all around George Town, becoming a major attraction for both visitors and locals alike.

During the exhibition, GalaxyArt hold a series of extended programmes which tailored made for different ages from children to adults, included the parent child pipe cleaners workshop and the caricature drawing workshop. 

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“Art-integrated learning”, without textbooks, can be pivotal to the development of creativity.  Not only that, when art becomes the medium of teaching and learning, learning through arts helps students to understand concepts with “any” subject of the curriculum and to discover connections between ideas. 

For the Juxtapose Exhibition, GalaxyArt organized a special School Program for local Macau schools. Special-themed tours guided by GalaxyArt docents were conducted according to the learning needs of students of different academic levels, from the artistic and historical perspectives.

It is the Foundation’s aim to provide young members of our community a chance to develop diversified and creative thinking, and see the world in a new way – “through the arts” and “with the arts”.  For inquiries about school visits to GalaxyArt, please contact the Foundation at (853) 2822 8160.