Group photo of the guests
Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), co-organised by the School of Intermedia Art of the China Academy of Art and implemented by the Macao Museum of Art (MAM), the exhibition “ I Am Here: Helena Almeida – Presence and Resonance” was inaugurated today (23 January) at MAM, opening a new chapter in Sino-Portuguese cultural exchange using art as a bridge.
The opening ceremony was held in a lively atmosphere and was officiated by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man; 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 Consul General of Portugal in Macao, Alexandre José dos Reis Leitão; the Secretary of the Communist Party and Deputy Director of the School of Intermedia Art of the China Academy of Art, Xu Yuan; the chief curator Delfim Sardo and the representative of the co-curators Song Zhen.
Helena Almeida (1934 – 2018) was a key figure in the international art circle who used the body as a medium for experimental art. Since the 1960s, she dedicated herself to challenging the boundaries of traditional art with an avant-garde spirit, progressively building a unique artistic language that uses the body as a medium and in which the artist’s blue brushstrokes became a classic symbol of contemporary art. Helena Almeida questioned traditional representational approaches through self-portraits and performances, resonating with the feminist movement and paving the way for more subjective and personal narratives in artistic expression. The “Presence” section of the exhibition, serving as Helena Almeida’s first large-scale retrospective in Asia, features approximately 42 sets comprising 190 original works, systematically presenting the career of the esteemed Portuguese contemporary artist. The second section “Resonance”, themed “Body, Object, Reflection”, features works by six female artists from the Chinese mainland and Macao, resonating Helen Almeida’s artistic vision and developing a dialogue that transcends time and space.
In addition, a variety of outreach activities will be successively launched during the exhibition period, including public and group tours, Sunday family art activities and group art exploration workshops. Limited seats are still available for the thematic lecture “Helena Almeida and Dialogues on Contemporary Art”, scheduled to be held on 24 January at 3pm. On-site registration is available and distribution is on a first-come, first-served basis. The public can also participate in the lecture through the live broadcast.
The exhibition “I Am Here: Helena Almeida – Presence and Resonance” is organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, co-organised by the School of Intermedia Art of the China Academy of Art, and implemented by the Macao Museum of Art, with the support of Centro de Arte Moderna da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian; Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Fundação de Serralves; Culturgest - Fundação da Caixa Geral de Depósitos; Fundação Leal Rios; Fundação Helga de Alvear; Galeria Filomena Soares; Galeria Francisco Fino; and the private collectors António Albertino and Maria de Belém Sampaio, among others. The exhibition is held from 24 January to 26 April 2026, on the first to third floors of MAM. MAM is open from 10am to 7pm (last entry at 6:30pm) including on public holidays, and is closed on Mondays. Admission is free. For more information, please visit the MAM website at www.MAM.gov.mo and the “Macao Museum of Art” page on Facebook.
