Above Zobeide: Art from Macao at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia
Organised by the Macao Museum of Art (MAM) of the Macao SAR Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, Above Zobeide was first presented at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia last year. It featured a large-scale installation and digital prints created by emerging Macao curator Chang Chan and young Macao artist Wong Weng Cheong. The exhibition received critical acclaim from international audiences and art critics, successfully ‘showing Macao to the world’. Now, the whole exhibition returns to Macao, presenting outstanding works to local audiences and exploring global issues in a local context. Residents and tourists alike will be able to appreciate the contemporary creations of Macao’s young artists and collectively focus on the future development of visual arts in the city.
Artist Introduction
Wong Weng Cheong was born in Macao in 1994 and graduated from Goldsmiths College, University of London. His early works focused on printmaking, attempting to construct images of ‘eternal time’ and ‘space without space’ within a two-dimensional medium. In 2018, he exhibited a set of print works at the exhibition Catch It Outside, showcasing his initial reflections on space and existence.
Later, Wong became involved in spatial design, and this experience further stimulated his exploration of the perceptual relationship between people and space, as well as between the works themselves. He produces diverse artworks across multiple media, utilising computer technology such as Artificial Intelligence and 3D graphics to create immersive concepts – attempting to test the audience’s perception and presence in space through experimental methods.
In recent years, his works have showcased a more mature expression in exhibitions such as Somewhere Still Wild and Above Zobeide. These pieces continue his early reflections on space while introducing unconventional animal imagery – forms that first emerged in Catch It Outside. They exist in an awkward state of permanent displacement, navigating the boundary between nature and civilisation, hovering between humanity and animals. Wong uses the overall spatial design to present a substantial spiritual landscape filled with anxiety and a sense of alienation. His works encourage audiences to integrate their experiences, deeply contemplate the invisible relationship between perception and space, and reassess their position in a rapidly changing world.
Solo exhibitions:
Above Zobeide, Exhibition from Macao, China: Collateral Event of the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy, 2024.
Somewhere Still Wild, Casa Garden Gallery, Macao, China, 2021.
Above the Descending, Post-Ox Warehouse Experiment Site, Macao, China, 2020.
Catch It Outside, be-Kyoto Gallery, Kyoto, Japan, 2018.
Major group exhibitions:
The Secret of the Golden Flower, Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale, Albergue SCM, Macao, China, 2023.
Game Face, Ugly Duck Gallery, London, United Kingdom, 2017.
[Exhibition Period]
March 8 – April 30, 2025
