Portuguese Artist Vhils Curates Citywide Exhibitions in Macau
Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto, AKA Vhils, curates six exhibitions across Macau as part of Encounter in Macau – Arts and Cultural Festival Between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries.
With its Portuguese heritage, Macau is the ideal location to host an arts festival that embraces and celebrates the Iberian country’s influence on this region. Through four thematic showcases, current artistic trends in China and Portuguese-speaking countries will be explored.
The Portuguese artist Vhils is known for his street art interventions that create striking portraits through ‘vandalism’. Using a technique of carving and drilling at the material layers of a building’s exterior, he etches and chisels faces that adorn urbanscapes around the world. Along with gallery director Pauline Foessel, the two have curated the works of 27 international artists to explore the theme of Alter Ego.
Through six exhibitions spread across Macau, Vhils and Foessel’s selection of contemporary artists will delve into the concept of alternative personality. As the curators have stated: “Working as a sort of analytical mirror, these works take the viewer on a visually striking journey that also acts as a catalyst for internal introspection and evaluation, resulting in an experience that is as aesthetically rich as it is internally moving.”
1. 'The Self' at Macau Museum of Art
Museum
Featuring six artists, including Vhils, Mauro Pinto from Mozambique and Wing Shya from Hong Kong, the first show The Self explores self-awareness, the cultural other and how we interact with our surrounding world.
2. 'The Other' at Old Court Building
Art Gallery
A recurrent subject of philosophical, psychological and sociological theory and study, the notion of ‘the other’ considers how individual and social identities are created. Here the nine artists, including Abdel Queta Tavares from Guinea Bissau and Beijing-based Zhang Dali, all consider the importance of ‘the other’ and how we need it to survive.
3. 'From Language to Travel' at Tap Seac Gallery
Art Gallery, Building
4. 'Culture Clash' at Gallery of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau
Art Gallery
Discovering new cultures is for the most part a positive experience, but there is also the possibility of a clash. Here Gonçalo Mabunda, Kiluanji Kia Henda, Miguel Januário and Nástio explore the realities of cultural clash that include exploitation and miscommunication.
5. 'Globalisation' at Taipa Houses-Museum
Art Gallery, Museum
As we live in an increasingly connected world, Brazilian artist Guilherme Gafi and Portuguese artist Wasted Rita make us question the part globalisation plays in the exchange between countries.
6. 'Alter Ego' at Navy Yard No.1
Art Gallery
Identifying as both African and a product of the diaspora, Francisco Vidal, who was born in Portugal to Angolan and Cape Verdean parents, will present work that explores the alter ego in the final exhibition.
Alter Ego takes place in various locations around Macau until 9 September 2018.
Want to see more international art? Here are the art museums you need to visit now.
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