[Thursday, January 5] As we embark on a new year, MGM joins hands with Zhou Yi, a master in Chinese fondant art who is also crowned as the “Sugar King” of China, to present the Fondant Art Exhibition at MGM COTAI. The exhibition, being the first solo exhibition of Zhou Yi, is aspired to promote Chinese traditional culture and dough-sculpture, a traditional Chinese craftsmanship that is also a piece of intangible cultural heritage, of which Zhou Yi creatively fuses dough with fondant art, a western artistic medium, to create Chinese style doll figures that amuse all. Innovatively merges food crafting techniques, such as dough-sculpting and fondant art, and artistic techniques like painting, spray painting and sculpturing, the exhibition flaunts a brand-new cultural tourism experience of the art of living.
Fondant Art Exhibition at MGM COTAI is a permanent exhibition of originality and innovative concepts, co-created by MGM and Zhou Yi. The five life-sized fondant art sculptures, all over two-meter in height and are exclusively created for MGM and Macau, are themed around the classics of Chinese culture, such as “Three Books and Six Rituals”, “Filial Piety”, and folk culture of the Lingnan region, “Lion Dance” and “Culture of Yum Cha”, to name a few, which delightfully present “auspiciousness” and “courtesy” that are treasured in Chinese traditional culture. These works of art truly rejuvenate living and history and extends the reach of art to a whole new level. The exhibition leads its audiences to explore the charm of intangible cultural heritage and Chinese culture, and at the same time telling the great Chinese story through the marvelous craftsmanship of the contemporary days.
Pansy Ho, Co-chairperson and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited, said, “As a grand starting point for MGM’s new journey in Macau, the exhibition features the taste of sweetness from the five tastes to bring forth the art of living. Thrilled to be collaborating with Zhou Yi, the ‘Sugar King’ of China, MGM and his team have spent a year to put together this cutting-edge exhibition, which rejuvenates Chinese traditional culture by presenting traditional festivity, etiquette and livelihood in a contemporary manner and infusing the influence of Guochao, the ‘national culture’, to merge art into life. In the future, arts and culture will remain to be the core of MGM, and we will create new chapters of our journey with entertainment, culture and performance, giving life to art in all aspects.”
Zhou Yi said, “Co-curated by the two brands, MGM and Sugar King, this exhibition took over a year to perfect, with countless ideas exchanged and challenges overcame throughout the progress. Through the themes of the artwork, ranging from Chinese folk custodies, historical figures to folk legends and myths, I hope to showcase Chinese traditional culture to more audiences in such crowd’s favorite art medium, fondant art. I also believe that Chinese culture needs to be seen and recognized in order to realize the rejuvenation of our nation. With that said, we thank the Macau SAR government and MGM for their support towards the promotion of Chinese culture, and we hope to showcase Chinese culture to friends all over the globe, through the roaring lion of MGM, and Macau, the Window of the World.”
The opening ceremony of Fondant Art Exhibition at MGM COTAI took place today (January 4), which was also livestreamed on 15 online platforms across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau and attracted a total of over 1.7 million viewers. The ceremony was attended by a lineup of guests of honor, including: Bai Bing, Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR; Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office; Leong Wai Man, Director of Cultural Affairs Bureau; Kenneth Feng, President, Chief Strategic & Financial Officer of MGM; Zhou Yi, master of fondant art and “Sugar King” in China, and Cristina Kuok, Vice President of Arts and Culture of MGM.
Exhibition Details
Date: January 4, 2023 onwards
Group session: Monday to Friday 12pm to 1pm
(One-day advance reservation to artsandculture@mgm.mo )
Public session: Monday to Friday 1pm to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday 12pm to 8pm
Venue: Infinite Harmony at Spectacle, MGM COTAI
Admission: Free
About Zhou Yi
A master of fondant art in China and often known as the “Sugar King” of China, Zhou Yi first started his career in learning Chinese sculpture and dough sculpture from masters of the field, and later on stumbled upon fondant art and self-learnt the artistry. After mastering both the eastern and western art forms, he becomes an internationally renowned artist, with his traditional Chinese dough sculptures made in the medium of fondant art. Aspired to showcase the beauty of the Orient to the world, Zhou stuns the international audiences with his sophisticated masterpieces, which has gained him several grand recognitions – the most acclaimed one being the Best Award at Cake International 2017. Zhou was also recognized as the Awardee for National Culture Inheritance in 2022.
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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/subconcessions 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 Holdings Limited 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, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Jessie Kuan
Director of Public Relations
MGM
Tel: (853) 8806 3412
Email: jessiekuan@mgm.mo
Juliana Kung
Assistant Director of Public Relations
MGM
Tel: (853) 8806 3424
Email: julianakung@mgm.mo
