MACAO, Feb. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sands China Ltd.
officially launched the new Sands Gallery Wednesday and
unveiled its debut exhibition, The Innovation of Ink:
Transformation and Reinvention of Oriental Aesthetics – Featured
Exhibition of Wang Dongling & Xu
Lei.
Sands Gallery is a permanent art space on the 6th floor of The
Grand Suites at Four Seasons, and provides an opportunity for
guests to explore an ever-changing variety of art exhibitions. The
gallery was born out of Sands China's desire to help cultivate an
environment that nurtures creativity and art appreciation in
Macao. It also aims to support the
development of art and culture and to bring a greater diversity of
experiences to the city, while promoting and encouraging
professional artists in Macao and
across the region.
Sands China plans to invest
more resources into inviting renowned local and international
artists of different art forms to host exhibitions at the gallery
in order to enrich the cultural experience of Macao residents and visitors.
"In opening Sands Gallery, Sands China's ultimate objective has
always been to help Macao
establish itself as a multicultural exchange and cooperation base
with an emphasis on Chinese culture," said Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd., at
the ceremony. "We are truly convinced that a permanent and
high-class exhibition space – equipped with advanced software and
hardware resources, and targeting international audiences – will,
through regularly introducing high-level art exhibitions, play an
active role not only in enriching the city's art and cultural
activities and propelling artistic diversity, but also in promoting
the extensive exchange and cooperation among artistic groups from
Macao, mainland China and other countries."
As the first headline exhibition of Sands Gallery, The
Innovation of Ink features over 30 imaginative works of
world-renowned Chinese artists Wang Dongling and
Xu Lei, and runs from
Feb. 24 to March 20, 2022. It was
curated by internationally respected art historian Julia F. Andrews, who is a distinguished
professor at Ohio State University and
an expert in her field.
Andrews said: "It is of great significance that we are
exhibiting the work of both artists, Wang Dongling and Xu Lei, for the official launch of Sands
Gallery, as it demonstrates Sands China's continued commitment to
art and culture. The theme of this exhibition can be portrayed in
two aspects: 'Ink' emphasises the importance of Chinese ink
painting, and 'Innovation' implies that Chinese calligraphy will be
transformed from its traditional roots into a modern art form.
Chinese calligraphy has undergone the processes of deliberation,
revolution and innovation over the past century. Both of these
artists have devoted their careers to investigating and expanding
the language of ink, in the hope of presenting to audiences that
modern Chinese calligraphy is an art form targeted to the world and
created for the future. It is also an important expression of
sharing the value of Chinese culture to the world and an artistic
way of expressing the confidence of Chinese culture."
Just as Macao is a city that
represents the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, the
exhibition features the works of two artists whose styles are
striking examples of East meets West. Each artist has developed an
undisputed mastery of traditional Chinese ink techniques –
calligraphy in Wang's case and painting in Xu's – and then expertly
applied them in ways that are original, inventive and
contemporary.
Andrews describes Wang's work as wild and kinetic. In addition
to his works of large-scale calligraphy, he has developed his own
unique and recognisable style, dubbed Entangled Calligraphy, which
is described as "a cursive script that is not only quickly brushed,
but densely layered, columns tilted and sliding into one another to
cover the entire surface, their texts illegible to most viewers,
but their compelling kinaesthetic energy obvious to all."
Wang said in a pre-recorded video message: "I would like to
express my appreciation to Sands China for inviting me to exhibit
my works together with Xu Lei in an
exhibition curated by Julia F.
Andrews at Sands Gallery. The important element of Chinese
calligraphy lies within the refinement of lines, as every brush
expresses the feeling, aesthetics, and spirit of an artist. As a
calligrapher, it is my hope that calligraphy will evolve from its
traditional roots into a modern art form that fits in today's
world. My works, which involve couplets in cursive calligraphy,
entangled calligraphy, and different materials, share the same
philosophy as Xu's mysterious yet poetic works. This makes me
believe that our works will give our audiences an aesthetic
emotion. I wish the exhibition every success and hope visitors will
enjoy it."
Xu's work, in contrast, is described by the curator as precise
and still. She adds: "Instead of meticulous renderings of birds or
flowers, he uses his refined technique to create surrealistic
spaces in which mysterious objects, many from China's artistic heritage, appear." His
surrealist scenes are dreamlike, and juxtapose traditional Chinese
motifs with unexpected elements.
Xu, who attended the opening, said: "The exhibition presents my
signature artworks that were created before I changed my drawing
styles in 2010, during the time when I was still at my early stage
as an artist. The imagery of these works demonstrates the
correlation between Western and Chinese culture, and how they
affect and penetrate each other. It's my pleasure to be partnered
with master Wang to showcase both of our works in a city that
combines Chinese and Western cultures with a rich art atmosphere. I
felt impressed when I saw my works displayed in an art space with
sophisticated and subtle details. It is my hope that viewers can
travel on a journey during their visits and emotionally interact
with my works."
Wang, Xu and Andrews have collaborated with some of the most
well-known art institutions in the world, including the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York, the Guggenheim Museum, the National Art Museum of
China in Beijing, and the British Museum in
London.
At Wednesday's opening ceremony, musicians from the Macao Youth
Chinese Orchestra played the traditional Chinese instruments
guzheng, flute, vertical flute and erhu in a performance of
classical Chinese music. The event closed with a VIP tour of the
exhibition led by representative of the curator Li Hong Fei and Xu.
Guests of honour at the opening were Bai Bing, head of the
Division of Culture and Sport of the Department of Publicity and
Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in
the Macao SAR; Sam Hou In, head of
the Department of Exhibitions and Museums of the Cultural Affairs
Bureau of the Macao SAR; Jennifer Si
Tou, head of the Tourism Product and Events Department of
the Macao Government Tourism Office; exhibition artist Xu Lei; Li Hong
Fei, representative of the curator; Dr. Wong; Virginia Lam, executive vice president and chief
customer officer of Sands China Ltd.; Julian Chow, senior vice president of special
projects, product strategy and development for Sands China Ltd.;
and Vikram Reddy, general manager of
Four Seasons Hotel Macao.
The Innovation of Ink: Transformation and Reinvention of
Oriental Aesthetics – Featured Exhibition of Wang Dongling &
Xu Lei at Sands Gallery is
open to the public 11 a.m.-7
p.m. daily until March 20,
2022. More exhibition information is available at
https://en.sandsresortsmacao.com/sands-art-gallery.html.
High resolution photos of highlighted artworks can be downloaded
from the below link:
https://we.tl/t-D4tpJBpeWp
About Sands China Ltd.
Sands China Ltd. (Sands China or the Company) is incorporated in
the Cayman Islands with limited
liability and is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited
(HKEx: 1928). Sands China is the largest operator of
integrated resorts in Macao. The
Company's integrated resorts on the Cotai Strip comprise The
Venetian® Macao, The Plaza® Macao,
The Parisian Macao and The Londoner® Macao. The
Company also owns and operates Sands® Macao on the
Macao peninsula. The Company's
portfolio features a diversified mix of leisure and business
attractions and transportation operations, including large meeting
and convention facilities; a wide range of restaurants; shopping
malls; world-class entertainment at the Cotai Arena, The Venetian
Theatre, The Parisian Theatre, the Londoner Theatre and the Sands
Theatre; and a high-speed Cotai Water Jet ferry service between
Hong Kong and Macao. The Company's Cotai Strip portfolio has
the goal of contributing to Macao's transformation into a world centre of
tourism and leisure. Sands China
is a subsidiary of global resort developer Las Vegas Sands
Corp. (NYSE: LVS).
For more information, please visit www.sandschina.com.
Media contacts:
Corporate Communications, Venetian
Macau Limited
Mabel Wu
Tel: +853 8118 2268
Email: mabel.wu@sands.com.mo
Josie Ho
Tel: +853 8118 2024
Email: josie.ho@sands.com.mo
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SOURCE Sands China Ltd.