The Macao Annual Art Exhibition, held every year during the Macao Arts Festival, has attracted great attention and participation from the local community by adopting a thematic approach and by gathering works in different media. This annual event has become an important platform for fostering Macao’s visual art creations and in training local art talents.

With the “Historic Centre of Macao” successfully inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, Macao has received much approval from around the world for its diversified culture and its openness to different cultures. We can see from recent years’ entries the influence of various cultures, and Macao art works are appraised in both national and international art exhibitions for their outstanding regional characteristics. Many Macao artists have reflected their perspectives on life and everyday issues faced by modern people.

Macao’s cultural diversity is a spring for our city’s development. As well as striving to preserve these precious cultural resources, we should work to generate stronger social awareness and inspiration on spiritual growth, making them the wealth of every Macao resident.

The 2006 Macao Annual Art Exhibition, “Embracing Life and Exhibiting the Contemporary”, acknowledges the hard work of Macao’s art elites, and also provides guidance for other art workers, resulting in a greater concern with current issues and the creation of works of contemporary significance.

The successful organization of this exhibition was made possible in large part by the participation of individuals from the local art community, as well as the support of several exceptional individuals in different countries and regions. I wish to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to this year’s panel – Van Lau, Ruan Yizhong, Zhang Zhi An, Balbir Bodh, Wang Dongling, as well as to all the participants and coordinators.