Across three exhibition venues at The Parisian Macao in Cotai, exhibitiongoers will find images of a faceless figure clad in white hotel bathrobes and towels photographed across various locations in dreamlike scenes.
These photos, the works of photographer Alice Im (嚴芳), are showcased for her latest solo exhibition “Dreamscape Macao”, where alienation in a familiar place is part of what she explores through 45 images, all of which were taken across a span of five years from 2018 to 2023.
Venue-sponsored by Sands China, the exhibition kicked off on Friday and is part of Macau Art For All Society’s (AFA) annual “Ephemera – Women Narratives in Contemporary Images Exhibition Series”.
Those exploring the exhibition will find the faceless figure as both the observer and the observed in each photo. The figure, which is actually Im, offers a detached perspective and is photographed in both familiar and unfamiliar parts of Macau. These include places ranging from the Macau Science Centre (MSC) and Largo do Senado to construction sites and residential areas in Areia Preta.
According to an AFA statement provided by Sands China, the facelessness represents three things, first of which is the “invisible status” of service workers in the tourism industry, particularly migrants whose “fundamental contributions often go unnoticed by the very tourists they serve”.
Locals who were born in Macau but “experience identity confusion and alienation amidst rapid commercialisation” are also equally represented by the faceless figure, along with aspiring entrepreneurs as they struggle to find their path in a place where opportunities and challenges coexist.
A previous statement also noted that the exhibition also explores psychogeography which, according to AI chatbot Poe, is “a field of study that explores the relationship between geographic environments and psychological experiences”.
Im’s solo exhibition is located on the third level of Shoppes at Parisian, with the venues being shops #303a, 303b and 303c. It is open daily from 12 noon to 7 p.m. until June 28. More details are also available on
Photos: Rui Pastorin
