MACAU.- As part of the Annual Arts Exhibition between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, 27 artists unveiled new works in Macao. Curated by Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto aka Vhils and Pauline Foessel, the works are being shown across six individual exhibitions, all of which are inspired by and explore the central theme of Alter Ego.

On the conceptual theme of Alter Ego, the curators comment: “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. While each of the of six exhibitions within Alter Ego will work as an independent concept, with its own unique character, including works and perspectives by different artists, together they will form one symbiotic collection, entwined by a common premise.”

The first exhibition, The Self, begins with an exploration of self-awareness and its role in our ability to interact with what surrounds us. The second exhibition, The Other, meanders into the idea of how we need the other in order to exist and how this impacts the way we view and perceive ourselves. The third part of this sequence, From Language to Travel, focuses on communication and immersive experiences, exploring how mutually understood forms of language allow us to establish relationships. The fourth part, Culture Clash, revolves around the contrast of miscommunication and the barriers that are created by different cultural backgrounds and experiences. The fifth exhibition, Globalisation, broadens the spectrum of analysis, looking into the concept of interaction between people and larger entities and the interchanges that occur in an increasingly connected world. The final part of the sequence, appropriately named Alter Ego, concludes the process with a thought-provoking incursion into the understanding that while we are all seemingly different, we are also all fundamentally the same.

Spread across the entire city of Macao and including one public art installation, Alter Ego is on display between July 8 and September 9, 2018.

Artists: Tony Amaral (East Timor), Marcelo Cidade (Brazil) , Fidel Évora (Cape Verde), Add Fuel (Portugal), Guilherme Gafi (Brazil), Ricardo Gritto (Portugal), Ann Hoi (Macao), Miguel Januário (Portugal), Kiluanji Kia Henda (Angola), Yiu Chi Leung (Hong Kong), Li Hongbo (China), Gonçalo Mabunda (Mozambique), Nástio (Angola), João Ó & Rita Machado (Portugal), Mauro Pinto (Mozambique), Wasted Rita (Portugal), Xisto Soares (East Timor), Herberto Smith (São Tomé and Príncipe), Pedrita Studio (Portugal), Abdel Queta Tavares (Guinea Bissau), Francisco Vidal (Portugal & Angola), Vhils (Portugal), Wing Shya (Hong Kong), Yonamine (Angola), Zhan g Dali (China)