Special Exhibition "Dopamine: Fountain of Happiness" and Collateral Exhibition "Beyond the Frame: International Contemporary Masterpieces"
Nine international artists reinterpret Sesame Street characters to create debut artworks
MACAO, July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sands China unveiled two themed exhibitions Tuesday as part of Macao International Art Biennale 2025: the Special Exhibition "Dopamine: Fountain of Happiness" at The Venetian®Macao, showcasing exquisite artworks crafted by internationally renowned contemporary artists in collaboration with Sesame Street, and the Collateral Exhibition "Beyond the Frame: International Contemporary Masterpieces" at Sands Gallery. The exhibitions feature in total more than 80 artistic creations, on display July 29-Oct. 15, 2025.
Guests of honour officiate the opening ceremony of Sands China’s Special Exhibition for Art Macao 2025, “Dopamine: Fountain of Happiness,” Tuesday at The Venetian Macao.
Guests of honour go on a guided tour of “Dopamine: Fountain of Happiness” Tuesday at The Venetian Macao.
Grant Chum presents a book featuring the art of Sands China’s Art Macao 2025 exhibitions to guests of honour Tuesday.
Macao contemporary artist Bibi Lei presents a workshop July 26 at The Parisian Macao’s Qube Kingdom to parents and children, helping participants establish close connections through art.
Special Exhibition "Dopamine: Fountain of Happiness"
"Dopamine: Fountain of Happiness" at The Venetian Macao aims to rekindle happiness through the power of dopamine aesthetics, which centres on vivid colours, boundless imagination, and the expression of positive emotions. This vibrant showcase features nine outstanding artists from Asia, Europe and the United States: Craig & Karl, Bibi Lei, GRAFFLEX, Hei Lok, Ilya Milstein, Jun Oson, Jonni Cheatwood, and Song Zhou. The artists have reinterpreted globally renowned Sesame Street characters to craft original artworks debuting at Art Macao 2025.
Extending Macao's curatorial vision of 'Art + City,' the exhibition is set against the picturesque architectural façade of The Venetian Macao. The artists have reinterpreted globally renowned Sesame Street characters – intertwining them with ancient Roman mythology and the striking palette of dopamine art, each with their own artistic flare. The result is a series of art pieces created exclusively for Macao, bringing art into genuine encounters with the public in a cross-medium, cross-temporal, and cross-cultural artistic journey. Macao, as a metropolitan city of arts, invites visitors to wander through and participate naturally in the exhibition – co-creating the emotional resonance of joy and happiness that arts at The Venetian Macao can offer.
At an opening ceremony for the Special Exhibition at The Venetian Macao Tuesday, Leong Wai Man, president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, said: "Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale has blossomed into its fourth edition this year, after debuting in 2019. This year's special exhibitions have scaled new heights, with Sands China's Dopamine: Fountain of Happiness transforming the European architecture of The Venetian Macao into a theatrical stage that traverses space and time, where Asian, European, and American artistic forces converge – reinterpreting the eternal beauty of ancient Roman mythology with a contemporary touch. Meanwhile, the exhibition's Sesame Street characters seem to echo this year's theme with their colourful art cascading across canvases and spaces to stir the deepest part of the viewer's heart. This extraordinary artistry stands as the most eye-catchingly colourful highlight among this year's special exhibition series.
"On behalf of the Macao SAR government, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Sands China's management, curatorial team, global artists, and partners. Their passion and professionalism have not only brought this international spectacle to life, but also infused Macao's cultural landscape with enduring momentum. Let us continue scripting Macao's new chapter with art and building a more vibrant platform for global artistic exchange!"
Sands China Ltd. Executive Vice Chairman Dr. Wilfred Wong said: "Art Macao was first held in 2019 and has taken place every two years since, bringing an immersive cultural atmosphere to the entire city as a gallery and an art garden. We believe that the most important thing in promoting art is to set the target audience, so that everyone can resonate with it and be touched by it. For this special exhibition, international artists have collaborated with Sesame Street to intertwine their characters and style with ancient Roman mythology to create unique large-scale public artworks for Macao. They have combined the European-style exterior façade of The Venetian Macao with the constant flow of people to form a naturally generated art scene. Through this exhibition, we hope to create the factor of happiness for everyone – dopamine. At the same time, we are presenting the Collateral Exhibition 'Beyond the Frame: International Contemporary Masterpieces' at Sands Gallery, featuring six participating artists breaking through the framework of traditional forms to build one small universe after another, full of personal style. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR for their guidance. We would also like to thank the talented artists and the curatorial team ARTICROSS for their dedication and participation as we work together to tell the story of Macao through Art Macao."
Ken Wong, co-founder and director of ARTICROSS, said: "We always believe that art is a force that can transcend language and culture. It is a great honour to collaborate with Sands China in curating the Special Exhibition 'Dopamine: Fountain of Happiness' and the Collateral Exhibition 'Beyond the Frame: International Contemporary Masterpieces.' By working with nine international artists, we transcend the boundaries of culture, language, and style to create a colourful and imaginative artistic dialogue in the multicultural city of Macao. Participating in Art Macao 2025 is a very challenging yet immensely honourable artistic journey. I would like to thank every artist for their trust and Sands China for the opportunity to collaborate."
For over 55 years, the pioneering children's television programme Sesame Street has been instilling positive values in children in an entertaining way and accompanying adults facing various social realities. With that inspiration in mind, the artists take visitors on a voyage of artistic exchange that reaches across borders and generations, as they convey the joy-producing power of dopamine through mood-brightening, colourful art.
Accompanying the exhibition, Sands China has joined hands with artist duo Craig & Karl to create an exclusive limited-edition of the block-stacking game Jengafor Art Macao 2025, specially designed to pay tribute to the spirit of the city – diverse, dynamic, and alive with cultural rhythm and creativity. Featuring six unique patterns infused with the artists' signature vibrant aesthetic, each game piece transforms the classic game into a joyful art collectible – available exclusively at The Venetian Macao's outdoor lagoon area.
Collateral Exhibition "Beyond the Frame: International Contemporary Masterpieces"
Running simultaneously with the Special Exhibition, this exhibition at Sands Gallery features six of the invited artists, who have undertaken a collective exploration of how artistic boundaries are being redefined in today's global context. It encourages participation, provokes thought, and creates encounters that draw the viewer directly into a genuine dialogue with artistic expression.
As one of Macao's international cultural portals, Sands Gallery continues to fulfil its role as a platform for "exchange, mutual inspiration, and elevation" with this exhibition, welcoming Bibi Lei, Song Zhou, Jun Oson, GRAFFLEX, Ilya Milstein, and Jonni Cheatwood to present more than 60 of their classic and new works that go beyond passive observation.
The artists break conventional frameworks through distinctive visual languages, employing diverse mediums such as painting, sculpture, installation art, and mixed media. Their works navigate freely between materiality, space, and cultural narratives, forging new artistic frontiers while constructing deeply personal creative realms.
Extension Art and Culture Events
On July 30, Sands China is holding an "Art Macao 2025" – Sands China Extension Activity:Art Sharing Session at 3:30 p.m. at Greenwich Ballroom at The Londoner Macao® with some of the exhibitions' artists. The sessions aim to deepen exchange and connection between the Art Macao artists and Macao's art and cultural community – building a bridge between Macao and the global art scene. Admission is free and all who are interested are invited to register at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/4j7r4swf.
On July 26, local contemporary artist Bibi Lei presented her first-ever The Home of Flower Energy Swirls Workshop at The Parisian®Macao's Qube Kingdom children's play zone. She guided the attending families to create their own "Home of Flower Energy Swirls" using her unique hands-on painting method by directly touching the paint, centred around the theme of "home," helping participants establish close connections through art.
Sands China Ltd. (Sands China or the Company) is incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability and is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (HKEx: 1928). Sands China is the largest operator of integrated resorts in Macao. The Company's integrated resorts on the Cotai Strip comprise The Venetian® Macao, The Plaza® Macao, The Parisian®Macao and The Londoner Macao®. The Company also owns and operates Sands® Macao on the Macao peninsula. The Company's portfolio features a diversified mix of leisure and business attractions and transportation operations, including large meeting and convention facilities; a wide range of restaurants; shopping malls; world-class entertainment at The Venetian Arena, The Londoner Arena, The Venetian Theatre, The Parisian Theatre, the Londoner Theatre and the Sands Theatre; and a high-speed Cotai Water Jet ferry service between Hong Kong and Macao. The Company's Cotai Strip portfolio has the goal of contributing to Macao's transformation into a world centre of tourism and leisure. Sands China is a subsidiary of global resort developer Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS).
Sesame Workshop is the global impact nonprofit behind Sesame Street and so much more. For over 50 years, we have worked at the intersection of education, media, and research, creating joyful experiences that enrich minds and expand hearts, all in service of empowering each generation to build a better world. Our beloved characters, iconic shows, outreach in communities, and more bring playful early learning to families in more than 150 countries and advance our mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.
Media contacts: Corporate Communications, Sands China Ltd. Mabel Wu Tel: +853 8118 2268 Email: [email protected]
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