海洋 La Mer Art Exhibition at City of Dreams
2021-07-16 - 2021-10-21 | City of Dreams, Estrada do Istmo, Cotai, Macau, Macau
Celebrating the sea and highlighting the urgent need to protect it for future generations, Melco Resorts & Entertainment will be unveiling the groundbreaking multimedia exhibition 海洋La Mer Art Exhibition July and October, 2021 at City of Dreams.
As the Special Exhibition of Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021, 海洋La Mer Art Exhibition draws together a collection of leading artists and explorers to pay tribute to the beauty, sensuality, inspiration and fragility of the sea and its inhabitants through a series of innovative installations.
Featuring specially commissioned works by pioneering video artist Ange Leccia, renowned composer Thomas Roussel, botanical sculptor Makoto Azuma, and visionary artistic director Franco Dragone, the exhibition takes place at one of Macau’s most iconic venues, the Dancing Water Theater at City of Dreams. Each of the pieces in the exhibition has been created to complement the others, creating a harmonious experience for visitors. This global collaboration of renowned talents also highlights what can be achieved through purposeful cooperation by people from different parts of the world, something that is necessary if humans are to protect the oceans effectively.
La Mer by Ange Leccia is a video work in which the artist records the endless movement of the waves as they emerge and then crash onto the beach. Through Leccia’s unusual perspective, viewers are invited to contemplate the rhythm, colors and relentlessly shifting shapes of the sea, demonstrating why it has been a source of inspiration for artists since the beginning of time.
Ange Leccia’s La Mer
W/AV/E by Thomas Roussel sees the acclaimed French composer using music and artificial intelligence to immerse the audience in a constantly changing audiovisual seascape. To make this cutting-edge work, Roussel wrote and recorded the score with an orchestra in Paris. The musical segments are activated and transformed by real-time oceanographic data collected in the Pacific Ocean to create an ever-evolving symphony. A collective of artists crafted the visual illustrations from digital recordings of around 35,000 marine species.
Sephirothic Flower by Makoto Azuma chronicles the avant-garde Japanese flower artist’s journey to the depths of the ocean. Having previously sent flowers into the Arctic and into space, this installation follows the artist as he joins an underwater research team to take a bouquet of flowers 1,000 meters down to the bottom of Japan’s Suruga Bay. In Oceans by Franco Dragone, the legendary artistic director uses the staging and machinery of the Dancing Water Theater to create a dramatic spectacle that combines baroque performance with modern technology. Addressing the issue of marine pollution, this poignant work draws attention to the destruction of the ocean environment and shows how its beauty hides a manmade monstrosity.
The House of Dancing Water Underwater Discoveries
In addition to the exhibition, City of Dreams is also hosting a series of activities and events that give visitors the opportunity to deepen their appreciation of the sea and make a meaningful contribution towards protecting it. Taking place every Saturday night at 7:30pm, the La Mer Film Festival turns the spotlight on a selection of the greatest movies inspired by the sea, from arthouse films and documentaries to big-budget blockbusters, such as The Big Blue, Finding Nemo, and Life of Pi. The screenings will incorporate some of the Dancing Water Theater’s signature aquatic effects, creating an unprecedented one-of-a-kind viewing experience for the audience.
The House of Dancing Water Underwater Discoveries, meanwhile, gives guests the opportunity to see Macau’s most famous artistic extravaganza from the perspective of the show’s divers, revealing the secret design of the underwater stage and the skills required to control its submerged mechanisms. Visitors can also connect with the oceans spiritually at the Flow Body Mindfulness classes. Led by the Head of Performer Wellness from The House of Dancing Water and featuring music composed by Thomas Roussel that is inspired by the sounds of the sea, this guided session allows participants to clear their minds, stay positive and progress towards a state of wellness.
Flow Body Mindfulness classes
In “Sea x Art” Forum, freediver Wang Aolin, the first person from China to descend to a subaquatic depth of 100m, and underwater photographer Uncle J, share their unique experiences below the waves, and how they relate to the fields of art and sustainability.
Melco has committed to reaching zero emissions and zero waste by 2030. Part of this program is the company’s fight against single-use plastics. Guests in search of a distinctive reminder of the exhibition can head to the Dancing Water Boutique, where Parley for the Oceans bags will be on sale. Created in collaboration with artists Ed Ruscha, Pipilotti Rist, Katharina Grosse, Doug Aitken, Tobias Rehberger, and Bharti Kher, each bag is made from approximately five intercepted plastic bottles and funds the removal of more marine plastic waste by the Parley Global Cleanup Network. Online donations to Parley for the Oceans, a global charity organizing ocean clean-ups around the world, are also encouraged.
When: July 16–October 31, 2021
“Sea x Art” Forum – 4:00pm–5:00pm, Sunday, August 8, 2021
Flow Body Mindfulness classes – Saturdays, 4:00pm–5:00pm
Where: City of Dreams, Estrada do Istmo, Cotai
How much: Free admission
*Online registration is preferred for the “La Mer” Film Festival, The House of Dancing Water Underwater Discoveries, Flow Body Mindfulness classes and “Sea x Art” Forum, limited seats will also be available on-site on a first-come-first-serve basis
For more information, call +853 8868 6767 or check the event’s official page

Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021 – Advance and Retreat of Globalization (Main Exhibition)
2021-07-17 - 2021-10-17 | Macao Museum of Art, 237 Av. Xian Xing Hai, Macau, Macau
A four-month mega international cultural and artistic event, Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021 was inaugurated on July 15, at the Macao Museum of Art, presenting a movable feast of the city. On the occasion, the Main Exhibition themed “Advance and Retreat of Globalization” will also be inaugurated, with three exhibitions, distributed through various areas of the Macao Museum of Art, reflecting on the advances and retreats of globalization through the arts.
Curated by Qiu Zhijie, the Main Exhibition at the Macao Museum of Art is divided into three parts: “The Dream of Mazu”, “Matteo Ricci’s Labyrinth of Memory” and “Advance and Retreat of Globalization”, providing a space for reflection and discussion on globalization and individuality, life and dreams, remoteness and proximity, security and happiness, among others. The three thematic exhibitions feature over 40 artists from nearly 20 countries and regions, presenting more than 100 pieces/sets of artworks.

The first part of the Main Exhibition “The Dream of Mazu” brings together Ming’s and Qing’s export porcelain transhipped through Macao, the combination of traditional and contemporary creations of azulejo tiles by artists from Portugal, the brand-new blue-and-white porcelain works by artists from China and the Middle East; the second part of the Main Exhibition “Matteo Ricci’s Labyrinth of Memory” describes the Western world’s view of China over 500 years. Both parts of the exhibition are held until 15 August. The third part of the Main Exhibition “Advance and Retreat of Globalization” shows that artists around the world have been continuously working on the creation, striving to open a new spiritual path that leads the world from despair, and organizing the ideas about tradition and memory mentioned in the first two chapters. This part of the exhibition is held until 17 October.
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, with the participation of various creative cities and local higher education institutions, as well as the support of the Municipal Affairs Bureau and Air Macau.
When: July 16–October 17, 2021
Where: Macao Museum of Art, Avenida Xian Xing Hai, NAPE, Macau
How much: Free admission
For more information, check the event’s official page

Juxtapose Exhibition at Galaxy Macau
2021-07-20 - 2021-10-15 | Galaxy Macau, Galaxy Macau, Cotai, Macau, Macau, Macau
Galaxy Macau’s diverse entertainment facilities and events allow guests from different age groups to enjoy unparalleled experiences. From July 20, the very first art space in Galaxy Macau – GalaxyArt – hosts Juxtapose Special Exhibition of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”. Visitors can experience the culture and history of Macau through the larger-than-life steel rod sculptures. As a debut exhibition of GalaxyArt, Juxtapose is a highlight of the second edition of Art Macao, with the theme “To Create for Well-Being” to connect the community with art, and to bring together creative ideas from around the globe to enrich arts and culture in Macau. GalaxyArt, the dedicated art space managed and operated by the GEG Foundation, is inaugurated with the exhibition Juxtapose, presented as a Special Exhibition of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”.
Juxtapose is a homage to the rich history of Macau, with over four centuries of heritage, and is set to arouse collective memory and emotions, with “Stories of Steel” being narrated through larger-than-life steel rod sculptures. All the sculptures exhibited in Juxtapose depict Macau’s important architecture, icons, trades of the past, and festivals, all that define what Macau is today – juxtaposing east with west, new with old, traditional with modern, serious with humorous.
When: July 20–October 17, 2021
Where: Galaxy Macau, Estrada da Baía de Nossa Senhora da Esperança, Galaxy Macau, Cotai
How much: Free admission
For more information, check Galaxy Macau’s website or their Art Macao’s-related Facebook page

The Shadow of Katana, Guns, Swords – Martial Arts, Samurai and Western Film Festival
2021-08-06 - 2021-09-18 | Cinematheque-Passion, 13 TRAVESSA DA PAIXÃO, MACAO, Macau, Macau
Featured image above: The Fate of Lee Kan movie still
The Shadow of Katana, Guns, Swords – Martial Arts, Samurai, and Western Film Festival will be held from August to September, featuring a collection of 25 classic films in the martial arts, samurai, and western genres, categorized in five sections, namely “The Aesthetics of Violence”, “Literary Flavours in Action Films”, “Western Guns and Eastern Swords”, “Heroines” and “Special Screenings”. Martial arts, samurai, and Western are signature film genres in Chinese-speaking regions, Japan, and America, respectively. Cowboys, horses, and six-shooters in Western films, sharp swords in samurai films, and swordsmen in martial arts films are all vivid images in global films. They are characteristic and influential to one another. There are also been hybrid film works in recent years.
The festival selects 25 outstanding martial arts, samurai, and Western films for audiences in Macao. These works include grand classics, metaphorical breakthroughs, and fascinating post-modern hybrids that exhibit similarities and differences across three genres.
The Shadow of Katana, Guns, Swords – Martial Arts, Samurai, and Western Film Festival is held at the Cinematheque Passion. During the festival, a number of films will be screened, including Harakiri directed by the famous Japanese director Masaki Kobayashi, which received the Cannes Film Festival’s Special Jury Prize, and Once Upon a Time in the West, an epic Spaghetti Western film, which allows the audience to review classical films and introduces outstanding pieces to young spectators from the novel and interesting perspectives.
Two post-screening talks will be held during the Festival. On 28 August, local scholar Professor Lei Kun Teng and local writer Tai Pei will talk about literature and film after the screening of the film Warriors from the Magic Mountain. On September 5, local director Chan Nga Lei and local film reviewers Leng Wu Chio and Lei Ka Hon will take the audience to the world of martial heroes, cowboys, and samurais after the screening of the film Sukiyaki Western Django.
When: July 31–September 28, 2021
Where: Cinematheque Passion, 13 Travessa da Paixão, Macau
How much: MOP $60 per person
For more information and ticketing, check the organizer’s official website
