Famous works of art are usually kept well out of arms reach behind glass and velvet ropes at world-renowned galleries and museums. But, here in Macau spectacular works of art are accessible to everyone.
Fiori
Dale Chihuly is perhaps the most renowned glass artist of our time. This prolific artist, whose career spans six decades, made his name with a slew of innovative, daring and breathtaking glass sculptures and architectural installations. One of the most famous, and covering approximately 2,000 square feet, is his Fiori di Como – a ceiling installation at the Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas – that has the distinction of being the largest glass sculpture ever made.
Here in Macau, a smaller scale, yet no less impressive Chihuly artwork, the Fiori di Paradiso Ceilin, decorates the lobby at the MGM Macau. This striking red installation is coupled to dramatic effect with a Chihuly wall art installation behind the reception desk; the Fiori Di Paradiso Drawing Wall, made up of 42 different glass panels measuring 17 meters by five metres.
Tulips
American artist Jeff Koons – known for working with popular culture objects and turning the ordinary into extraordinary – is widely regarded as one of the most important, influential, popular, and controversial artists of the post-war era. Steve Wynn certainly thought so, paying a reported US$33.7 million dollars for Tulips, a giant stainless-steel floral sculpture on display at the Esplanade at Wynn Palace Cotai.
The 33-tonne sculpture is one of five unique versions of Tulips, works that are part of a series called Celebration created by Koons between 1995 and 2004. Said to be one of the largest and most complex works in the series, Tulips represents a bouquet of twisted balloon flowers cast in steel and brought to a high mirror polish and plated in a vivid spectrum of colour.
Fake
Exploring another kind of popular culture – China’s new-found adoration for Western luxury brands, and the ubiquitous fake industry this obsession has spawned – Chinese artist Liao Yibai confronts the creativity of both luxury brands and their counterfeit counterparts through a series of oversized stainless steel sculptures of watches, rings, handbags, and high heeled shoes rendered in perfect accuracy. The concepts of real and fake are studied through mash-ups of luxury labels, the appropriation of real fake brand names, and the creation of the artists own luxury brands.
Intricately crafted in striking detail, Fake High Heel Channel X, on display at the Esplanade at Wynn Palace Cotai, is a large-scale representation of a stiletto created by Liao as part of his Real Fakes series.
Wearable Art
Literally stitching pieces of history together to create modern art, Chinese artist Li Xiaofeng uses pieces of porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties found at archaeological sites to create original costumes he calls “rearranged landscapes” for their ability to tell a story.
The Beijing artist painstakingly shapes and polishes pieces of porcelain, drilling holes into each and stitching them together to create traditional Chinese dresses, jackets and military uniforms. On of Xiaofeng’s stunning porcelain dress installations can be found in the lift lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Macau.
艺术触手可及
全球知名当代艺术家的美妙作品遍布城中各处，澳门自然是当代艺术爱好者“朝圣”的一个重要地点。
在世界闻名的画廊和博物馆里面，著名艺术品通常高高在上地珍藏在玻璃柜和天鹅绒护栏后面，但在澳门，艺术杰作却对所有人展开了怀抱。
花朵
戴尔·奇胡利（Dale Chihuly）或许是这个时代最有名的玻璃艺术家。这位高产艺术家的艺术生涯跨度六十年，听到他的名字，必定会让人联想到大量创新、大胆和令人惊叹的玻璃雕塑及建筑装置作品。其中最知名的一个作品就是Fiori di Como，作为有史以来最大型的玻璃雕塑，面积约2,000平方英尺（186平方米）的这个天花板装置作品收藏于拉斯维加斯贝拉吉奥赌场渡假村。
在澳门美高梅，同样有一个奇胡利的装置作品Fiori di Paradiso Ceilin，虽然规模大小比不上拉斯维加斯的姊妹，但气势却同样震撼。这个令人惊艳的红色装置与前台后方奇胡利另一件浓烈抢眼的艺术装置相映成趣，效果强烈，Fiori Di Paradiso Drawing Wall巨型背景墙由42块面积达17米乘5米的玻璃板组成。
郁金香
美国艺术家谢夫·昆斯（Jeff Koons）以通过流行文化对象进行创作，并将平凡转变为不平凡而闻名，更被广泛认为是二战后最重要、影响力最大、最受欢迎及最受争议的艺术家之一。史提芬永利亦这样认为，并据称以3,370万美金买下了他的作品“郁金香”，一个巨型的不锈钢花朵雕塑，目前收藏于路氹城永利皇宫名店街。
谢夫•昆斯于1995至2004年间创作了五个各不相同的“郁金香”版本，作为其“庆祝”系列作品之一，位于澳门的这件作品看似轻盈动人，实际上却重达33吨。“郁金香”将气球形状的不锈钢扭成尺寸赫然的花朵，再配上光亮的颜色和反光的涂层，据说这是整个系列中规模最大以及最复杂的作品。
真伪
现在，让我们探索另一种流行文化——中国对西方奢侈品牌新近兴起的热爱，以及追求奢侈品牌而催生的无处不在的山寨行业——中国艺术家廖一百以一系列尺寸超大而细节精确重现的不锈钢手表、戒指、手袋和高跟鞋雕塑，质问奢侈品牌和假冒商品的艺术质地和原创性。通过混合众多奢华品牌标志、真伪品牌名称和创造艺术家自有的奢侈品品牌，廖一百对真伪的概念进行研究。
雕琢细腻的“伪高跟鞋Channel X”同样收藏于路氹城永利皇宫名店街，完美呈现了细高跟鞋细节的这个大型雕塑，是廖一百“真伪”系列的作品之一。
可穿戴的艺术品
将文物碎片缝在一起创造当代艺术——中国艺术家李晓峰收集考古遗迹出土的明清陶瓷碎片，创作出独一无二的服装，并因为这些作品讲述故事的能力，他将其称之为“重新排列后的风景”。
这位北京艺术家精心地细细打磨及塑造陶瓷片的形状，在每一块瓷片上打孔并将其串在一起，从而造出传统中式裙子、外套和盔甲。李晓峰其中一件令人惊艳的陶瓷裙子装置作品收藏于澳门文华东方酒店大堂电梯间。
