Cultural Affairs Bureau Invites Applications to the 2015 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture

The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), in cooperation with the Macao Architects Association and the Macao Urban Planning Institute, organises the Macao Pavilion at the 2015 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Shenzhen), and is now inviting applications for the Pavilion until 16th of September 2015. Macao, for the second time, was invited to participate in this year’s Biennale, the theme of which is ‘Re-living the City’. Individual curators or curatorial teams are both invited to apply for this Project. The Biennale was first organised in Shenzhen in 2005, and an invitation to participate was extended to Hong Kong in 2007, with both cities co-organising the exhibition from this year on and turning it into a “Bi-City Biennale”. It is currently the only biennale in the world dedicated to urbanism; in the five editions already held in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, more than 770 works from around the world went on display and over 310 forums and activities were organized, attracting approximately 860,000 exhibition-goers. Macao was first invited to participate in the Biennale in 2013, and the results were remarkable. This year’s Biennale is the second time Macao has set up a Macao Pavilion in Shenzhen; the organiser estimates that over 300,000 visitors will attend the exhibition with more than 100 exhibitors from over 25 different countries. IC wishes to further promote the cultural exchange between Macao and other regions, forge a deeper understanding of the cultural trends of city and architecture in cities in China and overseas, as well as enhance the locals’ awareness and participation in international events; all with the purpose of encouraging the younger generation to use their creativity and enhance the quality of their design, as well as their knowledge and understanding of world-class works. IC also hopes that the Biennale will help cultivate the integration of Macao talents in the international community; promoting the development of art and culture in Macao, and showcasing the outstanding work and unique perspective of Macao in the international arena. The theme this year is ‘Re-living the City’, and with its main objective of making a better world by remaking our cities and homes, this exhibition calls for the reuse, rethinking and re-imagination of existing buildings and cities, encouraging us to use what we have and use it well, as well as to rethink and reinterpret our daily lives. The Bi-City Biennale will be curated by Aaron Betsky, Alfredo Brillembourg, Hubert Klumpner, Doreen Heng Liu, and the team from ETH Zurich. IC will hold a clarification session, on 8th of August 2015, at 10:00am, at the IC Building, located at Tap Seac Square, to introduce the Biennale’s background, location and theme, as well as other relevant contents. The exhibition project will be supervised by the Organising Committee of the Macao Exhibition – 2015 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture, and the selection of applications will be carried out by the Jury Commission for the Macao Pavilion Exhibition Plans – 2015 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture. Interested parties who have any questions relating to this project can send an email to pr@icm.gov.mo until 21st of August 2015. The organizer will reply all queries by email before 31st of August 2015, and all replies will be made available for consultation at the IC’s website. The application form and regulation are available for download at the IC’s website, at www.icm.gov.mo.