[August 29, Macau] MGM has always been devoted to the concept of “Originality + Innovation”. In 2015, the Company initiated a pioneering collaboration with world-renowned Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos to jointly create a large-scale art installation Valkyrie Octopus at MGM MACAU – also known as the city’s cultural tourism landmark that propelled Macau onto the world stage. This year, MGM partners once again with the acclaimed artist to present Valkyrie Miss Dior, Vasconcelos’s latest monumental installation produced in collaboration with Dior, Paris, in Macau for public display at MGM COTAI. Spanning nearly a decade, the two collaborations exemplify MGM’s commitment to cultural tourism, acting as a bridge to promote global cultural exchanges by introducing world-class artworks to Macau.
Pansy Ho, Chairperson & Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited, said, “MGM has always trailblazed the innovative fusion of ‘Art+Tourism’, creating art and cultural programs that are of international standard yet seamlessly integrate into our daily lives. Together with Joana Vasconcelos, we have transformed Valkyrie Octopus not only into a tourism spot, but also a cultural ambassador for Macau. Coinciding with the 45th anniversary of the Sino-Portuguese diplomatic relations, we will leverage our international art network and bring Valkyrie Octopus from MGM MACAU to Europe for display, with a mission to elevate Macau’s international status, making it an epitome of MGM’s ‘Art of Living” ethos. Valkyrie Miss Dior is a brand-new reimagination of Valkyrie series. After debuting on an haute couture fashion runway in Europe in March this March, it is now exhibited as a public art in Macau, further enhancing Macau’s position as a diverse cultural tourist destination.”
MGM’s Valkyrie Miss Dior is the latest collateral exhibition of Macau’s city-wide international art event “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2023”. The light-up ceremony of the exhibition took place today (August 29), which was attended by a lineup of guests of honor, including: Wan Sucheng, Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR; Alexandre Leitão, Consul General of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong; Cheang Kai Meng, Vice President of Cultural Affairs Bureau; Ricky Hoi, Acting Director of Macao Government Tourism Office; Jean-Baptiste Debains, President of Asia Pacific of Christian Dior Couture; and Pansy Ho, Chairperson and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited. The exhibition illustrates MGM’s ethos of “Art of Living”, blending internationally renowned art with the essence of tourism and lifestyle. Open to the public from now to October 8 at the Spectacle of MGM COTAI, the exhibition presents a one-of-a-kind and immersive art and travel experience for residents and visitors in Macau.
Collaborates with Acclaimed Portuguese Artist Once Again
MGM’s visionary collaboration with Joana Vasconcelos on global art exchange program commenced in 2015, when the Company commissioned her to create her largest art piece in the Valkyrie series – Valkyrie Octopus at MGM MACAU. As the first-ever commissioned public art installation inside an integrated resort of Macau, the artwork symbolizes Macau’s unique position as a gateway to Sino-Portuguese cultural exchange.
In 2019, MGM brought Valkyrie Octopus to the Venice Biennale, tracing the route of the Maritime Silk Road, presenting a truly harmonious East-meets-West artwork to the audience in Venice. It was then returned to MGM MACAU in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of Macao SAR later that year. Coinciding with the 45th anniversary of the Sino-Portuguese diplomatic relations in 2024, the Valkyrie Octopus will set sail from Macau for Joana’s solo exhibition at the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology in Lisbon from September 2023 to March 2024. After fulfilling its mission, this first-generation Valkyrie will be on tour in cities in China before returning to MGM MACAU to mark the 25th
Anniversary of the establishment of Macao SAR next year.
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About Joana Vasconcelos
Born in 1971, Joana Vasconcelos is one of the most celebrated Portuguese artists in the current international art scene. Living and working in Lisbon, Portugal, the artist is known for creating immersive installations that blend “high” and “low” materials while challenging convention with a feminist perspective. She has also shown works at various editions of Venice Biennale and was notably the first female artist to exhibit at the Château de Versailles in 2012, followed by a solo show at the Bilbao Guggenheim in 2018.
About Valkyrie Miss Dior
Valkyrie Miss Dior is a reimagination of Vasconcelos’ acclaimed Valkyrie series, which debuted in March 2023 as the runway set of Dior’s AW23 collection in Paris. The artwork is inspired by the feminine figures in Nordic mythology who flew over battlefields to select the bravest and most valorous warriors, as a celebration of femininity and feminism. Incorporating techniques such as sewing, knitting and crochet, the art installations in the series are site-specific, full of color, light and movement and with signature tentacles.
Measuring 24m long and 7m tall, this monumental artwork occupies the space in the Spectacle of MGM COTAI in an almost tentacular manner, lifting the audience up with choreographic component.
About MGM
MGM is an abbreviation for MGM China Holdings Limited (HKEx: 2282) and is a leading developer, owner and operator of gaming and lodging resorts in the Greater China region. We are the holding company of MGM Grand Paradise, SA which holds one of the six gaming concessions to run casino games in Macau. MGM Grand Paradise, SA owns and operates MGM MACAU, the award-winning premium integrated resort located on the Macau Peninsula and MGM COTAI, a contemporary luxury integrated resort in Cotai, which opened in early 2018 and more than doubles our presence in Macau.
MGM MACAU is a Forbes Five-Star luxury integrated resort inspired by the arts with every element of the resort infused with creativity and style. MGM MACAU has approximately 600 guest rooms and suites and boasts a number of distinguishing features, including the architecturally stunning European-inspired Grande Praça, housed under a soaring glass ceiling. MGM MACAU’s world class facilities include the MGM Art Space, dedicating over 5,000 square feet to display authentic works of art, conference and event facilities, spa, and seven signature restaurants and bars to fulfill any gastronomic craving. Our property is conveniently located on the Macau Peninsula and is directly connected to the luxury retail shopping complex, One Central.
MGM COTAI is the latest integrated resort of MGM in China. Designed as the “jewelry box” of Cotai, it offers approximately 1,400 hotel rooms and suites, Asia’s first dynamic theater, meeting space, high end spa, retail offerings and food and beverage outlets as well as the first international Mansion at MGM for the ultimate luxury experience. The Spectacle at MGM COTAI becomes the record holder of the largest free-span gridshell glazed roof (self-supporting) on January 19, 2019, making it the first architectural and structural GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for Macau, China. MGM COTAI is being developed to drive greater product diversification and bring more advanced and innovative forms of entertainment to Macau as it grows as a global tourist destination. MGM COTAI is the only mega complex and hotel in Macau to gain three-star certification in both Green Building Design and Operation Label, as well as the first hotel in the Greater Bay Area and second in Greater China to receive the certifications.
MGM China is majority owned by MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort brands including Bellagio, ARIA, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and Park MGM. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.
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Jessie Kuan
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MGM
Tel: (853) 8806 3412
Email: jessiekuan@mgm.mo
Karen Lam
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MGM
Tel: (853) 8806 3421
Email: karenlam@mgm.mo
