The 11th Macau Design Biennial, jointly organised by the Macao Museum of Art, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and the Macau Designers Association and co-organised by the Macao Foundation, was inaugurated on 18 December 2017, at 6:30pm, at the Special Exhibitions Gallery of the Handover Gifts Museum of Macao. Following the opening ceremony, an Award Ceremony was held at the Macau Design Centre where winners were announced and prizes were awarded. The competition and exhibition held in the Macau Design Biennial, helps to explore more possibilities of design and urban development through visual language.
The opening ceremony of the exhibition was officiated by the Acting President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Ieong Chi Kin; the President of the Administrative Committee of the Macao Foundation, Wu Zhiliang; the Director of the Government Tourism Office of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; the Chairman of the Shenzhen Graphic Design Association, Xu Lixian; the Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Designers Association, Catherine Cheung; the Chairman of the Macau Designers Association, James Chu; and the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee of the 11th Macau Design Biennial, Hong Ka Lok.
The Macau Design Biennale, devoted to raise public’s awareness of the design profession, marks its eleventh edition this year. This edition of the exhibition has adopted its objectives as before, striving to explore Macao design talents and to build a platform of cultural exchange in Macao in response to the Government’s policy of developing the city’s cultural and creative industries. The Biennale aims to provide an opportunity for Macao designers to broaden their horizons and adapt themselves to international standards, developing Macao as an important bridge for cultural exchanges between China and the West. Exhibitions and professional competitions of the Biennale have helped designers gain recognition, while promoting the significance of creativity on economic sustainability and emphasising the values that the design industry creates, thereby enhancing the professional image of the industry.
The 11th Macau Design Biennial received over 4,000 entries from 33 regions worldwide, 20% of which were qualified to enter the final assessment phase. The volume of entries received this year broke a record, and the overall quality standard is higher than in previous years. After more than six months of preparation and assessment of the entries by a jury comprising Guang Yu (Beijing), Céline Lamée (Amsterdam and Beijing) and Steffen Knöll (Germany), the jury finally selected 80 prize winners from public group and student group for the following prizes: 12 Gold, 23 Silver, 36 Bronze, 3 Jury Awards, Polytrade Paper Printing Design Award, Tourism Souvenirs Award, Macau Design Award of Best Branding, Macau Design Award of Nova Design, The Most Creative Student Award as well as the highest honour award, the “Macau Design Award of Best Gold”. The exhibition showcases a total of 200 entries by winners from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Germany and the United Kingdom, among other countries and regions. The announcement of the results marks a conclusion of all the major design events in Macao this year.
The award-winning entries of the 11th Macau Design Biennial are exhibited at the Handover Gifts Museum of Macao from 19 December 2017 to 31 March 2018. The Handover Gifts Museum is located at Avenida Xian Xing Hai, NAPE, Macau, and is open from 10am to 7pm (no admittance after 6:30pm) from Tuesdays to Sundays. Admission is free. For enquiries, please contact the Macao Museum of Art through tel. no. 8791 9814 or visit the Museum’s website at www.MAM.gov.mo.