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.
A master of fondant art in China and often known as the “Sugar King” of China, Zhou Yi first started his career by learning Chinese sculpture and dough sculpture from masters of the field, and later on stumbled upon fondant art and self-learned 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 international audiences with his sophisticated masterpieces, which have 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.
The exhibition, being the first solo exhibition of Zhou Yi, 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 merging 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 extend 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 tells the great Chinese story through the marvelous craftsmanship of the contemporary days.
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 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 the Fondant Art Exhibition at MGM COTAI took place today (January 4), which was also live-streamed 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.
OPENING CEREMONY
Exhibition Details
Date: January 4, 2023 onwards
Group session:
Monday to Friday 12 pm to 1 pm
(One-day advance reservation to [email protected] )
Public session:
Monday to Friday 1 pm to 8 pm
Saturday and Sunday 12 pm to 8 pm
Venue: Infinite Harmony at Spectacle, MGM COTAI
Admission: Free
