It’s Labor Day weekend and we’d like to start by thanking everyone who has been part of Macau’s efforts in getting back on its feet! This weekend offers loads of fun and exciting things to do, including several art exhibitions, but also a tour around Macau’s oldest buildings and structures. Read on and find out what to do these next few glorious weekend days. The exhibition of Tam Chek Wun & Lao Chon Hong Works ends this coming Sunday, so make sure to put it on this weekend’s calendar to check out interesting works by two local artists, at the Taipa Houses Gallery.
Vintage Macau: Explore Macau’s Buildings of the Past
(See featured image above)
The history of a city can be seen through its costumes, traditions, language, streets, people, and also its architecture. The Portuguese arrived in Macau sometime in the 15th century, but the city had a life of its own before that. A trace of that are the dozens of temples built all around the city and here we have a story on some of the oldest buildings in Macau.
Read our article of some of Macau’s oldest spots and find out more about this city’s history and colorful past. Plan ahead and go on a walking tour with your friends or family. We bet the kids will be thrilled to get out of the house and get to explore another side of the city!
“The explicit charm of Portugal” Sketches of Portugal
As one of the largest and oldest art groups in Macau, the Macau Artist Society was invited by Delegação Económica e Comercial de Macau, in Lisbon, to send an art exchange group consisting of more than 20 members to bring 30 masterpieces from members of all ages to Lisbon, Portugal for “Art Exhibition and Celebration for the 20th Anniversary of the Macao Special Administrative Region” in March, 2019.
During the trip, the artists gained inspiration from the pleasant climate of the Iberian Peninsula as well as the rich and colorful cultural heritage. After returning to Macau, the artists created a large number of artworks based on this trip to Portugal.
It is the first time “The explicit charm of Portugal” Sketches of Portugal by the Macau Artist Society is to be held in Macau at Galeria Lisboa, which makes it more extraordinary and memorable. 64 sets of masterpieces including watercolors, oil paintings, Chinese paintings, sketches, acrylic paintings, and calligraphy by a total of 41 artists will be showcased in this exhibition.
When: May 1–30, 2020
Where: Galeria Lisboa, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf, Avenida da Amizade e Avenida Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, NAPE, Macau
How much: Free admission
For more information, call +853 8299 3514 or check their Facebook page
Book Tickets to See The House of Dancing Water’s show
The show at The House of Dancing Water is back and it’s just as mesmerizing as always! Few places in the world can say that they have this kind of artistry and talent. Show your appreciation to the amazing artists and performers right here in Macau and plan a visit to one of the best shows in the world.
The House of Dancing Water has shows running every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So hurry up, book your tickets, and be gobsmacked by the effort, creativity and pure showmanship put into the shows.
The House of Dancing Water City of Dreams Estrada do Istmo, Cotai, +853 8868 6767, www.thehouseofdancingwater.com
A Pearl of the Sea – Exhibition of Macao’s Urban Evolution
Macau has been increasing land resources through reclamation since the mid-19th century, which subsequently has had a profound impact on its overall urban development. The gathering and integration of different cultures over the past centuries have resulted in the combination of Chinese and Western styles in the city’s architecture and the emergence of new landscapes amid urban development. A Pearl of the Sea – Exhibition of Macao’s Urban Evolution features 101 exhibits divided into four sections: Geographical Change, Past View and New Image, Infrastructure Constructions and A New Chapter, seeking to give both residents and tourists a better understanding of Macau’s achievements in a variety of fields over the last 20 years since the handover, and present a brand new historical image of Macau.
Urban functions of Macau have been improving with the completion of large infrastructure projects; through public transport facilities such as ferry terminals, sea-crossing bridges, the airport, and the Light Rapid Transit, Macau is connected to neighboring cities and many other places around the world. To complement the exhibition, an educational area and multimedia installations have been made available inside the venue to give visitors a more realistic and intriguing experience of Macau’s urban development.
When: December 27, 2019–August 2, 2020
Where: Macao Museum, 112 Praceta do Museu de Macau, Macau
How much: Free admission
For more information, call +853 2835 7911 or check the event’s website
Exhibition: Tam Chek Wun & Lao Chon Hong Works
Local artists Tam Chek Wun and Lao Chon Hong won the Grand Prize of the Jury Award with their works Towering Mountains and Cloudy Ridges and Hexagram – Life respectively, at the Collective Exhibition of Macao Artists 2017. In order to showcase the artworks of these two artists, the Cultural Affairs Bureau specially organized this exhibition as a way to encourage local artists to keep moving forward in their artistic career.
The exhibition features a total of 36 pieces (sets) of paintings, including the artists’ winning works in 2017 and their new creations in 2019. In the 18 pieces (sets) by Tam Chek Wun, the artist unfolds the imposing presence of precipitous mountains with his consummate command of ink, while depicting the relaxing ambiance of Macau as a small city. The other 18 pieces (sets) by Lao Chon Hong, inspired by the hexagrams from the Book of Changes, ingeniously invite viewers to contemplate life and its meaning.
When: December 7, 2019–May 3, 2020
Where: Exhibitions Gallery and the Nostalgic House of the Taipa Houses, Avenida da Praia, Carmo Zone, Taipa
How much: Free admission
For more information, check here
Who Heeds a Man Who Sits and Wails out in the Cold? – Illustrations and Drawings by Rui Rasquinho
Taipa Village Cultural Association exclusively showcases an illustration and drawing exhibition entitled “Who heeds a man who sits and wails out in the cold?” presented by Macau-based Portuguese artist Rui Rasquinho. The selected works for this exhibition are based on a series of illustrations published in Hoje Macau newspaper (a local Portuguese language newspaper) during a seven-year span, from 2012 to 2019.
The story behind the scenes is that Rasquinho embarked on a long-term graphic commitment based on a weekly assignment, which was to illustrate translated scholarly texts (poems, philosophies, critical essays) from several controversial Chinese literati, such as Li He (790-816 AD), Wang Chong (27-100 AD), Huainanzi (139 BC) and Wen Tzu (742 AD).
The title of this exhibition hails from the stanza of a poem entitled “Let Wine Be Brought In!” written by Li He. The illustrations and drawings reflect Rui’s artistic skills, in which he found realization in pure abstraction registered in Chinese Orihon style watercolor books (originating from the Tang dynasty, 618-908 AD).
When: April 8–July 3, 2020
Where: Taipa Village Art Space, 10 Rua Dos Clérigos, Taipa
How much: Free admission
For more information, call +853 2857 6118 or send an email to [email protected]
