The local Art For All Society (AFA) held a forum with museum, curatorial and cultural industry professionals on Tuesday to discuss ways to strengthen the commercial development, collector networks and international reach of Macau’s contemporary art scene, according to a statement by the society.
The “Art Administration Seminar & AFA Autumn Salon Forum” took place on the Macao University of Tourism’s (UTM) Taipa campus, themed “Breaking Boundaries, Empowering, Co-creating – The Construction of a Sustainable Ecosystem for Macao’s Contemporary Art”, the statement said.
Co-organised by AFA, the Orient Foundation (FO) and UTM’s Institute of Executive and Professional Development, the event also involved Shanghai Powerlong Museum and Art Infinity Cultural, with sponsorship from Macau’s Cultural Development Fund (FDC), the statement noted, adding that the forum formed part of “AFA Autumn Salon 2026 Macao Station” and brought together professionals from the arts, academia, curation, the art market and cultural platform operations to discuss how Macau could develop more effective commercial pathways for contemporary art, cultivate collectors and establish international distribution channels.
In her welcoming remarks, UTM Institute of Executive and Professional Development Dean Lam Ching Chi said that Macau’s cultural heritage, international connections and cultural diversity provided a foundation for contemporary art development, according to the statement. She said that taking artworks to wider audiences required not only artistic talent but also professional curation, platform infrastructure, marketing, and sustained support from audiences and collectors.
The forum, Lam added, could strengthen cooperation between academia, industry and the cultural sector while giving students practical industry experience, the statement underlined.
Shanghai Powerlong Museum Director Wendy Xu (许华琳) delivered a keynote presentation titled “From Art to Market: Systematic Pathways for the Transformation of Artistic Value”, the statement said, adding that she outlined the “Powerlong Model”, which combines public museums’ academic recognition, art centres’ public outreach and commercial galleries’ pricing and sales functions.
Xu said that Macau’s duty-free advantages and large international visitor base presented opportunities to develop intermediary platforms connecting artists with the market, the statement said, adding that she encouraged local artists to make better use of professional institutional resources and reinvest commercial returns in their creative work.
Meanwhile, a roundtable moderated by Alice Kok Tim Hei, coordinator for arts and creative studies at UTM’s Institute of Executive and Professional Development, brought together four industry representatives:
Art Infinity Cultural Director Linwood Lin (連均娸), who previously served as national marketing general manager of K11 at New World Group, discussed the role of cultural and commercial platforms in developing the local art industry; Visual and installation artist Bai Shui, named among Forbes China’s Emerging Artists in 2025, introduced her “AI Perception-Architecture Method” and discussed how academic interpretation could help artists establish their market positioning and build collectors’ confidence in new media and technology-based art; Cindy Ng Sio Ieng, curator of the Macao, China Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, examined how international exhibition exposure could translate into sustained market opportunities; Local contemporary artist Eric Fok (霍凱盛), who also exhibited at the 61st Venice Biennale, spoke about his experience of working with commercial galleries and international collectors.
The statement said that AFA would continue working with government, business, academic and research organisations to strengthen the local contemporary art ecosystem and expand opportunities for local artists to reach international audiences.
This handout photo provided by the local Art For All Society (AFA) earlier this week shows UTM Institute of Executive and Professional Development Dean Lam Ching Chi addressing the “Art Administration Seminar & AFA Autumn Salon Forum” on the Macao University of Tourism’s (UTM) Taipa campus on Tuesday.
