11/11/2016 - 28/5/2017
Macao Museum of Art
Organisers: Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Macao Museum of Art
Inauguration: 11th November 2016 (Friday), 6:30pm
Exhibition period: 12/11/2016 - 28/05/2017
Exhibition venue: 2nd Floor, Gallery of Special Exhibitions, Macao Museum of Art, Av. Xian Xing Hai, Macao
Opening Hours: 10:00am – 7:00pm (no admittance after 6:30pm, closed on Mondays)
Free admission
Information: +853 8791 9814 / www.MAM.gov.mo
Ad Lib – Recent Works of Konstantin Bessmertny presents 34 pieces of Konstantin Bessmertny’s recent works in forms of painting, sculpture, installation and mixed media.
“Ad lib” is the shorthand for the Latin word “ad libitum”, which means “at one’s pleasure”. The artist does not wish to give the exhibition a definite theme, instead he chooses to bring us a bustling and humourous visual feast, in which he shares his personal musings and wittily responds to different phenomena happening in the society.
Bessmertny was born in Blagoveshchensk, USSR in 1964 and graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts, Vladivostok, specialising in classical painting. Since 1993, he has been living and creating work in Macao. By employing absurdity and humour, he creates works that bring together ideas from philosophy, politics, theology, art history, cinema and music. His intricate work leads his viewers to reflect on various social issues in multiple angles. Bessmertny once said in an interview, “I like a critical, sarcastic point of view on a subject. I prefer to take on a serious subject as a comedian rather than as a politician... Our duty as artists is to do as much as possible to influence bureaucrats and rich people. It’s not about making a lot of money, real artists want a challenge.”