“Spiritual Narrative – 2025 Annual Arts Exhibition between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries” opens at the Taipa Houses taking the audience on a Sino-Portuguese artistic journey

MACAU, December 4 - Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), the “Spiritual Narrative – 2025 Annual Arts Exhibition between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries”, was inaugurated today (4 December), at the Nostalgic House of Taipa Houses. The opening was attended by the Deputy Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Bai Bing; the Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Cheang Kai Ming; the Coordinator of the Portuguese Language Centre of the Instituto Português do Oriente, Paula Costa; the coordinator of the Annual Arts Exhibition, João Ó; the exhibition artists; and various cultural and artistic practitioners.

Themed “Spiritual Narrative”, the exhibition is inspired by the legendary 16^th century travellers, namely Fernão Mendes Pinto from Portugal and Xu Xiake from China, who travelled the world and documented their voyages in works that mirror philosophical reflections on life. The exhibition features eight artists from China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, including Cao Yu and Tong Wenmin from Mainland China; Wong Hio Chit and Cosmo Wong from Macao, China; Carla Cabanas from Portugal; Délio Jasse from Angola; Eugénia Mussa from Mozambique; and Juliana Matsumura from Brazil. The exhibition employs artistic creation in lieu of physical journeys, presenting a visual feast for visitors through 28 pieces/sets of works across various media such as painting, sculptures, videos and installations, weaving a tapestry of cultural contexts of China and the Portuguese-speaking countries.

The Vice President of IC, Cheang Kai Meng referred in his speech that the exhibition takes arts as a bridge, promoting an in-depth cultural dialogue between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, highlighting the unique position of Macao as a hub between East and West, leveraging Macao’s role as “a base for exchange and cooperation where Chinese culture is the mainstream and diverse cultures coexist”, contributing to the development of Macao as a cultural exchange centre between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. He hopes that the exhibition can offer the public a distinctive Sino-Portuguese artistic experience.

The “Spiritual Narrative – 2025 Annual Arts Exhibition between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries”, integrated in the “7^th Encounter in Macao – Arts and Cultural Festival between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries”, is held from 5 December 2025 until 1 March 2026, at the Exhibitions Gallery and Nostalgic House of the Taipa Houses, and is open daily from 10am to 7pm (last admission at 6:30pm), including on public holidays and is closed on Mondays. Admission is free. During December, guided tours in Cantonese and Mandarin will be available at 3pm and 4pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, as well as on 23 and 26 December.

For more information about the exhibition and the “7^th Encounter in Macao – Arts and Cultural Festival between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries”, please visit the Festival’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/FCP.