The Macao Annual Art Exhibition plays a profoundly important role in fostering the fine arts in the Macao region. It performs a positilin giving encouragement to local artists, in cultivating the general public’s aesthetic judgment and in enrichve ro ing e the city’s cultural life.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government was very conscientious and metili organizing this year’s exhibition. I was very impressed. In order to have a fair and efficient appraisal proccu edureous , n experts from outside Macao were invited to form the judging panel to enhance the level of credibility. I sincerely hope that this artistic activity will continue to flourish and produce even more splendid creative works.

Jia Fangzhou

Cheer Up, Macao Art!

Macao is an ancient yet quickly developing metropolis. Attracted by the light and shadow of the city, it is diffilt for viitors to glimpse its ilf at a single glance. I had a very short stay on my first visit to Macao. I ocu nly saw s that it was a casino-filled cinner sety like Les Vegas, a place for gamblers. I was not able to take a good look at it.

On my second visit, I made a special trip to the Venetian to have a look at its man-made canals, constructed within the hotel building - a very large and impressive construction project. However, what impressed me most were the shop windows by the side of the canals. They are designed according to the characteristics of the commodity, with an ornamental value at an international level that can be appreciated as environmental art.

My third visit to Macao was as a result of the Cultural Affairs Bureau’s invitation to evaluate works in the Macao Annual Art Exhibition. Finally, I saw the heart of Macao culture! With such a variety of works before my eyes, I was dazzled and could not help but cheer in my heart: “Oh! Macao, darling of the new era!”

It has been nine years since the Macao handover. Recently the Macao Government has aroused all its efforts to make the city prosperous; restructuring a new Macao. Macao and Hong Kong have become two eye-catching shop windows. However, establishing hardware infrastructure is easy whereas creating software infrastructure is difficult. With tall buildings standing in great numbers, this modern city is well established, yet further efforts should be made in cultural construction to keep up with development. It is not possible to reach the goal in one step.

Works submitted to the 2009 Macao Annual Art Exhibition are rich in form and content, displaying both modern and traditional and even post-modern art forms. It is obvious that Macao has followed the main trend and made its way to an international level.

In this exhibition, over five hundred works were submitted for evaluation (the organizer revealed that the number has doubled compared to the previous year). This is remarkable, vividly revealing Macao people’s strong cultural needs and their passionate creativity. I believe we can look forward to seeing Macao art flourish at an international level.

Although the overall appearance lacks maturity, the works possess unbound potential. Art needs time to be cultivated and perfected, especially Chinese ink-wash painting which needs to embrace both the Chinese spirit and international characteristics. This is the common mission of Chinese and Eastern art workers.

I hope that Macao artists will continue contributing to the development of both local and international art.

Chiao Shih -tai

This year’s Macao Annual Art Exhibition contains works of various themes displaying broad vision and diversified presentation techniques. Most of the works are of a high artistic standard, bringing an extraordinary splendour to the exhibition and making a deep impression on spectators. The exchange and blending of oriental and occidental art in ideas, concepts and techniques reflects Macao people’s passion and pursuit for art in a multicultural environment.

The Macao Annual Art Exhibition has become a cultural phenomenon of international influence, with multi-dimensional yet unique individuality.

Li Shenghong

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Macao handover. I was very honoured to be invited to participate in evaluating the Macao Annual Art Exhibition. As an artist, I was truly impressed by Macao artists’ creativity and by the artistic temperament shown in their works. Innovation is the motivation for development and these cultural contributions will eventually affect the city’s sustainable development. I believe that with the recognition and support of the Macao Government and the unremitting effort of Macao artists, Macao’s visual art creations will achieve the goal of diversified growth. By making use of its specific regional advantage, Macao art will flourish with individuality and enthusiasm.

Ma Juncheng

In the beginning, I did not have much expectation of the quantity and quality of works presented at the Macao Annual Art Exhibition since it is being held in a comparatively small city and participation is limited to local residents. However, after I went through the evaluation process, I was amazed by the quantity, diversity, and quality of works in the exhibition. These were far beyond my expectations.

I cannot comment here on all the works submitted but only on the field of sculpture, which I am familiar with.

The sculptures presented in the exhibition used a variety of elements and applied both traditional and modern presentation techniques, making me puzzled for a while when determining the evaluation criteria. Due to my personal preference for sculpture, I wanted to evaluate according to classification of media. However, since the selection quota is limited, I preferred to select works based on perfection rather than originality.

Since each member of the judging panel has his own evaluation criteria, some of the works I preferred were eliminated and I regretted that. However, as in large-scale competitions, it is very important for jurors to be objective and to disregard their own preferences when making decisions.

The Macao Annual Art Exhibition is a valuable learning experience for artists to further their careers. Amongst the numerous artworks in an exhibition, the impression that a work gives to viewers can be evaluated objectively. From another point of view, participants can learn to create better works by analyzing other artists’ works and comparing them with their own, and they will realize, eventually, that the effort is worth spending.

Sun -Gu Kim