Boat of Dreamers / 2021 / © ‘Yiima’ Art Group
Organised by the Macao Museum of Art, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, and co-organised by the Venice-based PDG Arte Communications as the Collateral Event from Macao, China at the 59th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, the exhibition ‘YiiMa’ Art Group: Allegory of Dreams will be inaugurated on 22 April 2022 in Venice, Italy. Curated by internationally renowned curator João Miguel Barros, the exhibition showcases 11 pieces (sets) of the latest works by artists Ung Vai Meng and Chan Hin Io from ‘YiiMa’ Art Group, which, in response to the title and theme of this year’s Biennale “The Milk of Dreams”, show a unique perspective that merges land and sky and offers a reinterpretation of the richness and density of some hidden corners of Macao and memories of the city that are fading away like dreams through sculpture, photography, video documentation and performance art.
Conceived and developed as an “Allegory of Dreams”, the exhibition is divided into four sections, namely “Boat of Dreamers”, “Symbols of Dreams”, “Space of Dreams” and “Iao Hon Dynasty”, creating a bridge between dreams and reality, performance art and documentation; presenting the many challenges faced by today’s cultural environment through allegory, and eliciting a deep reflection upon local culture on different aspects.
‘YiiMa’, meaning “the twins”, is an art group formed by Macao artists Ung Vai Meng and Chan Hin Io in 2019. ‘YiiMa’ Art Group believes that everything in the context of reality is an open text. They visited a number of places in Macao that are full of historical traces and embody the changes of the times, such as iron shop, martial arts hall, antique stores, and old offices. Through the documentation of their continuous on-site performance art, the exhibition reveals the richness and density of some hidden corners of Macao and lead visitors into the city’s unique cultural environment full of memories and history by means of “dreams”, offering them an opportunity to experience its dreamlike yet allegorical scenes of daily life through the visual impact presented in the works and to gain an understanding and interpretation of the city from multiple angles. The exhibition’s curator João Miguel Barros, who has successfully curated the first large-scale exhibition of ‘YiiMa’ Art Group in Lisbon, Portugal, considers that ‘YiiMa’ is the bridge between dream and reality, which is best exemplified in this exhibition.
Since 2007, Macao has been participating as Collateral Event in the International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, one of the most prestigious art events in the contemporary world, in the hope of introducing representative contemporary artworks from Macao to the international arena and showcasing the unique appeal of Macao as a hub where Chinese and Western cultures converge. The Collateral Event “‘YiiMa’ Art Group: Allegory of Dreams” bears witness to the eighth year of Macao artists presenting their works in this event. When preparing for the event amidst of the pandemic, they face changes and challenges which have also become a catalyst for artists to reflect upon the past, understand the present and explore the future. The Macao Museum of Art, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and the exhibition team invite the audience to discover Macao’s unique, quest-worthy cultural treasures and urban landscape that connects the past and the present.
The Collateral Event from Macao, China, ‘YiiMa’ Art Group: Allegory of Dreams at the 59th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia will be held until 20 October 2022 and open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 6pm (local time). The event venue is located in front of the Arsenale with the address at Arsenale, Campo della Tana, Castello 2126/A, Venice, Italy. For more information of the exhibition, please visit www.MAM.gov.mo.
