10 colourful facts about Macao as an art and cultural destination
- Outdoor spaces around town are turned into art galleries
- Traditional Chinese art forms alive and well in the city
Small yet surprisingly diverse, Macao offers more than most people realise. This is a city known for cuisine and culture, and Art Macao is a prime opportunity to dive deeper into the wealth of Macao’s artistic offerings.
Art Macao is the city's biggest festival for the arts and culture. From now until October, the festival will host more than 41 events at 55 venues across the city, featuring art, culture, dance, drama and music by leading global artists.
We’ve hand-picked 10 highlights that will tempt you to experience the festival and encourage a greater understanding of Macao as a destination for the arts and culture.
1. Macao has a high number of museums and galleries per capita
For a compact city of about 670,900 people, Macao is surprisingly home to more than 30 galleries and museums. Among them is the Macao Museum of Art, a public space dedicated entirely to art that comprises 10,192 square metres across five storeys. Throughout the festival, the museum will be the main venue for the “Art Macao: International Art Exhibition”.
The 2nd floor will showcase contemporary visual arts selected by Macao hotels and integrated resorts, including paintings, ceramic, sculptures, interactive installations and multimedia. There will also be a rare chance to see nearly 90 works by contemporary artists from the National Art Museum of China. In addition, an exhibition of Chen Zhifo’s work, an artist noted for his meticulous flower and bird paintings, will be exhibited from late August until mid-September.
“Art Macao: International Art Exhibition” Main Exhibition
When: 10am-7pm, Tue-Sun, Jun 6-Oct 7
Where: The Macao Museum of Art, Avenida Xian Xing Hai, NAPE, Macao
Quietness and Clarity: Works of Chen Zhifo from the Collection of the Nanjing Museum
When: 10am-7pm, Tue-Sun, Aug 24-Nov 17
Where: The Macao Museum of Art, Avenida Xian Xing Hai, NAPE, Macao
2. Macao Orchestra has shared the stage with many world-acclaimed musicians
The Macao Orchestra is a 60-strong professional ensemble that’s been active since 1983. During Art Macao, the orchestra continues its tradition of collaboration with internationally renowned musicians by staging concerts with celebrated cellist Alban Gerhardt and renowned pianist Kirill Gerstein.
Alban Gerhardt and Macao Orchestra
Macao Orchestra 2019-2020 Season Opening Concert
When: 8pm, Aug 31
Where: Macao Cultural Centre - Grand Auditorium
3. Macao is home to 12,000 ethnic Portuguese
Art Macao will include The 2nd Annual Arts Exhibition between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries and “Lyric Poetry – Works of Artists in Macao and Portugal from the MAM Collection”. Macao is home to about 12,000 ethnic Portuguese and the efforts to preserve the city’s Portuguese heritage are strong. The city’s well-preserved, Portuguese-influenced historic centre has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2005.
Annually since 1998, the city has held the Lusofonia Festival to celebrate Portuguese music, arts and gastronomy. Portuguese-style corner shops, including Mercearia Portuguesa in St Lazarus District, can still be seen everywhere.
2nd Annual Arts Exhibition between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries
When: Coming soon
Where: 55-57 Avenida do Coronel Mesquita; Former Municipal Cattle Stable; and The Mpacao Museum of Art
“Lyric Poetry – Works of Artists in Macao and Portugal from the MAM Collection”
When: 10am-7pm, Tue-Sun, Jul 13-Nov 4
Where: The Macao Museum of Art, Avenida Xian Xing Hai, NAPE, Macao
4. Macao has been a trade partner of many countries for hundreds of years
Art Macao offers audiences a chance to appreciate great art from Asia and around the world. To celebrate their historical relationships with Macao, the consulates of Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Japan and Hungary will show representative works during Art Macao. Significantly, Macao's shared history with Portugal goes back hundreds of years to when Portuguese explorer Jorge Álvares first set foot in Macau in 1513. The city’s Maritime Museum, shaped like a ship and located at Barra Pagoda, is believed to be the place where Álvares first docked in Macao. The city was a Portuguese settlement for more than 400 years and Europe’s first (and last) Chinese colony. The unique assimilation of Chinese and Portuguese cultures is what still gives Macao its unique character today.
In the case of Japan, Macao was once a major entrepôt for trade with China.
Exhibitions Organised by Foreign Consulates
When: Jul-Oct
Where: Various
5. Traditional Chinese music still thrives in Macao
Art Macao offers a wealth of music concerts, including the mellifluous sounds of the Macao Chinese Orchestra. The troupe proves that the public’s appreciation for traditional Chinese music remains strong. Don’t miss the orchestra’s closing season featuring Cantonese classics, alongside the concerto The Song of Flight, performed by Tang Junqiao, the most influential Asian dizi performer and a professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. These standout works convey the beauty and historic glories of China, and promise a high note to end the orchestra’s 2018-19 season.
The Macao Chinese Orchestra 2019-2020 Season Opening Concert
When: 8pm, Sep 1
Where: Macao Cultural Centre - Grand Auditorium
6. Macao preserves many colourful Chinese traditions
The Mid-Autumn Festival is the biggest festival in Macao after Lunar New Year. Traditional celebrations are dynamic in Macao with lanterns, mooncakes, Cantonese opera, and festive foods. This year promises something special. As part of Art Macao, and to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival, the Qinghai Nationality Song and Dance Troupe brings its spectacular dance drama Thangka to Macao’s Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium.
There is a packed calendar of traditional festivals throughout the year. The Festival of A-Ma, the Tin Hau Festival, is significant to Macao. It’s believed that the sea goddess, who has Macao’s oldest temple dedicated to her, gave her name to the city. When Portuguese sailors first arrived in the 1550s, they asked where they were. The reply came they had docked at the Bay of A-Ma, pronounced a ma gau in Chinese.
Haojiang Moonlight Night - Dance Drama Thangka
When: 8pm, Sep 13
Where: Macao Cultural Centre - Grand Auditorium
7. Macao is the stage for notable dance troupes from around the world
Macao has been host to iconic dance ensembles such as the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, St Petersburg Ballet Theatre and hip-hop crew Jabbawockeez. At Art Macao this year, Under Siege will see renowned Chinese choreographer Yang Liping join forces with Academy Award-winning set and costume designer Tim Yip to conjure visual magic.
Under Siege by Yang Liping Contemporary Dance
When: 8pm, Sep 6 and 7
Where: Macao Cultural Centre - Grand Auditorium
8. Macao has a vibrant street art community
As part of the 2019! Outloud Street Art Festival, remarkable artists from all over the world will gather in Macao and unleash their creativity. The line-up includes graffiti sessions, urban music and dance, DJ shows, artwork displays, a car exhibition, workshops, game booths, food stalls, charity auctions and introductory sessions about graffiti art. Macao is home to a number of street art hotspots, including the three-storey yellow building covered in murals at the entrance of Cunha Street in Taipa Village.
2019! Outloud Street Art Festival
When: End of Oct
Where: Ponte e Horta Square and surrounds
9. Macao has grown in land area by one-third in 20 years
In the 20th anniversary of the handover of Macao to China, Art Macao has invited Macao’s institutions of higher education to present a series of visual arts exhibitions and performances. The exhibitions of photography, paintings and videos show the city’s remarkable transformation since 1999. The land area of Macao has grown by one-third since through reclamation that created, among others, Cotai.
Do you still remember that Taipa and Coloane were two separate islands then?
When: From now until Oct
Where: Various
10. Macao in itself is an outdoor museum
Around Macao’s Historic Centre, not only are the buildings protected but their surroundings are also preserved to create a sense of place. During Art Macao, stroll up to the Mount Fortress for Sanctuary, a site-specific outdoor installation.
The location was once the military centre of colonial Macao and is the perfect place to take in a panoramic view of the city and mainland China.
Also worth visiting is The Wanderer, a sculpture created by Macao artist Wong Ka Long to honour Portuguese poet and author Fernando Pessoa. The work is on display at the Taipa Houses-Museum, a cluster of restored homes that is regarded as one of the most beautiful locations in Macao.
When: Now until Aug 25
Where: Mount Fortress Garden
When: Now until Oct 6
Where: Taipa Houses
Interested in further exploring Macao as an art and cultural destination? Visit our Uncover Art Macao page.
