Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, S.A. (“SJM”) proudly supports the first edition of “Art Macao”, a mega international arts and culture event launched by the Macau SAR Government this summer. With the theme “ART • Appreciation • Legacy”, SJM collaborates with international organisations and artists to create seven multidimensional exhibitions from June to October 2019, open free to public, enabling Macau’s residents and visitors to be immersed in a unique East-meets-West art and culture experience.

Secret Land – Special Exhibition of Coin du Jardin by Paul Gauguin marked the opening of SJM’s five-month art event “ART • Appreciation • Legacy”. The Opening Ceremony was held at Grand Lisboa Macau on 13 June 2019, in the presence of Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government Mr. Alexis Tam Chon Weng, Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macau SAR Ms. Shen Beili, Deputy Director-General of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macau SAR Ms. Zhu Hong, Consul General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong Ambassador Paulo Cunha Alves, Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macau SAR Government Mr. Chan Kai Chon, Acting Director of the Macau Government Tourism Office Mr. Cheng Wai Tong, Head of the Department of Education of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau of the Macau SAR Government Mr. Kong Ngai, Acting Head of the Department of Higher Education Students of Higher Education Bureau of the Macau SAR Government Ms. Vong Iut Peng, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SJM Ms. Daisy Ho, Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer of SJM Ms. Angela Leong as well as Directors of SJM Dr. Ambrose So, Ms. Maisy Ho and Mr. Arnaldo Ho.

Ms. Daisy Ho, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SJM, said, “Diverse cultures from both East and West have long integrated and co-existed in Macau, which in turns creates a climate of harmony, tolerance and appreciation. SJM, with its roots in Macau, pledges support for Macau in leveraging this distinctive characteristic through sponsorships for arts and culture activities and by nurturing young generations for the benefit of cultural inheritance. We are delighted to join forces with the government and the local community in ‘Art Macao’, and together we will develop Macau into a base for exchange and co-operation where Chinese culture is the mainstream and diverse cultures co-exist.”

Ms. Angela Leong, Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer of SJM, said, “SJM is proud to be the pioneer of bringing arts and culture to the local community. We constantly look for master art pieces from the world and use our hotels as a platform for exhibition, which helps enrich the cultural life of the citizens and highlight the strength of Macau’s thriving cultural scene. ‘ART • Appreciation • Legacy’ is a celebration of cultural heritage by SJM seen through the prism of Art. In a series of seven brilliantly curated exhibitions, we bring to our audience a multidimensional art experience, aiming to enhance Macau’s position as a multicultural city and to promote its cultural and creative industries.”

Coin du Jardin, a painting by the world-famous post-impressionist French artist Paul Gauguin, is now on public display at Grand Lisboa, Macau for the first time in Asia. Created in 1885 at a pivotal moment in Gauguin’s art career, the painting marks the end of a long period of working towards becoming a professional artist rather than an amateur and a businessman, and the beginning of a quest to explore new places and subjects. In Coin du Jardin, while ensuring the completeness of the picture, Gauguin aims to construct a garden space with multilayers. Viewers could seemingly sense the smell of deep spring and early summer from the scattered branches, leaves and flowers, together with the exposed brick-red soil, which also seems to be really mysterious. Gauguin piled up the colour dots by stippling in the piece Coin du Jardin. The clear strokes endowed the rhythmic qualities to the picture.

SJM’s “ART • Appreciation • Legacy” acknowledges both East and West cultures and plays host to seven multitudinous exhibitions at Grand Lisboa, Lisboa, Oceanus at Jai Alai, Ponte 16 Resort and Regency Art Hotel, including Secret Land – Special Exhibition of Coin du Jardin by Paul Gauguin, A tribute to Wu Guanzhong on his 100^th Birth Anniversary, Contemporary Glass Art Exhibition by Shu MENG, Visions of Chinese Tradition – Chinese Lacquer works, video art from Portugal Art in Motion, works by Portuguese speaking authors from the collection of The PLMJ Foundation, and the 4^th Y Show which displays a collection of works from local and overseas art graduates. “ART • Appreciation • Legacy” has set an exemplar for cultural inheritance by featuring works from various periods and culture backgrounds, created by both art titans and students with an array of media.

A dinner banquet was held at Casa Don Alfonso of Grand Lisboa after the Opening Ceremony. Legendary Italian Chef Alfonso Iaccarino and Chief Chef of the restaurant Giovanni Galeota shared with the guests some exquisite Southern Italian dishes cooked with fresh organic ingredients from self-owned farms in Naples – a strong declaration for Macau as a Creative City of Gastronomy. During the banquet, Ms. Hou Yanan, Dr. Meng Shu and Mr. Paulo Côrte-Real introduced to the guests the respective exhibitions they curated and their fields of artistry.

Under the patronage of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau Special Administrative Region Government, Art Macao is organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Macau Government Tourism Office and co-organised by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau and the Higher Education Bureau and is taking place throughout Macau from June to October this year. “ART • Appreciation • Legacy” is part of the “Art Macao: International Art Exhibition” series where SJM joins the government and society in enhancing the humanistic spirit of Macau and creating a new brand of cultural tourism.