The Creative City Pavilion – a showcase of four UNESCO Creative Cities, including Macao – staged at different sites around the city is one of the highlights of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”. The event opened in July and runs until October.
The Creative City Pavilion, a new feature of the second edition of Art Macao, brings together the distinctive cultural essence of four UNESCO Creative Cities, including Macao, the City of Gastronomy; Nanjing, the City of Literature; Wuhan, the City of Design; and Linz, the City of Media Arts.
Each city has a display set up in a different venue as part of the Creative City Pavilion. Open until October, the exhibitions allow the public to experience the infinite creativity of each city, the cutting-edge charm of contemporary art and the resilience of each city.
Art Macao’s Creative City Pavilion comes after the launches of other elements of the Biennale: the Main Exhibition, Special Exhibition of Resorts and Hotels, Public Art Exhibition, Selected Works by Local Artists and Collateral Exhibition (see related article here).
The Creative City Pavilion is curated by Macao poet, translator and curator Yao Feng. Under his direction, the four thematic exhibitions are held at the Macao Contemporary Art Center – Navy Yard No.1, Tap Seac Gallery, and Mong-Ha Villas No.63-71 and No.55-61.
“Macao: City of Gastronomy – Bon Appétit!” opened at the end of July at the Macao Contemporary Art Center – Navy Yard No.1. On show are 15 pieces or sets of work from 16 local artists, including Carlos Marreiros and Konstantin Bessmertny, who explore the interplay of food, society and history. This is a visual feast.
The exhibition “Nanjing: City of Literature – Opening Up the Realm” at the Tap Seac Gallery features works of dozens of outstanding poets, novelists, critics and artists of Nanjing, including Su Tong and Zhao Benfu. The works include manuscripts, calligraphies, documentaries, paintings of worms by Zhu Yingchun, and Ding Cheng Pharmacy, allowing the audience to reconsider life through the literary eyes of Nanjing writers.
“Wuhan: City of Design – Empathy” at No. 63-71 Mong-Ha Villas features a number of empathetic works inspired by epidemic prevention, including photography works by the President of the China Photographers Association Li Ge and the artist Luo Xian. These and other works look at individuals during historical events to explore the most dazzling facet of human nature, empathy.
The exhibition “Linz: City of Media Arts – The Art of Interface” at No. 55–61 Mong-Ha Villas features nine sets of media artworks based on interfaces, demonstrating the cutting-edge charm of contemporary interactive art.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in 2004. The network identifies cities that have creativity as a development strategy. The network promotes sustainable economic, social, cultural and environmental development, and aside from gastronomy, literature, design and media arts, encompasses crafts and arts, film and music.
For more information about the Macao International Art Biennale 2021, please visit the official website at www.artmacao.mo, “artmacao” on Instagram, “IC Art” page on Facebook, and “IC_Art_Macao” on WeChat.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau will strictly follow the relevant guidelines of the Health Bureau and implement appropriate measures for “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021”.
“Macao: City of Gastronomy – Bon Appétit!” shows 15 pieces or sets of work from 16 local artists 
The exhibition “Nanjing: City of Literature – Opening Up the Realm” features works of dozens of outstanding poets, novelists, critics and artists 
“Wuhan: City of Design – Empathy” is a collective of works inspired by epidemic prevention 
The exhibition “Linz: City of Media Arts – The Art of Interface” has on show nine sets of media artworks