New exhibitions by Sands China chart Macau’s art scene and the meaning of happiness in the age of technology, AI and globalisation

To deepen the conversation, six of the artists also took part in two art talks, moderated by Tatler’s senior editor of arts and culture, Zabrina Lo. The dialogues revealed how each artist negotiates the pressures and possibilities of their cultural landscapes.

In the first talk, Speaking Urban Tales through Art, Craig & Karl joined New York-based illustrator Ilya Milstein to discuss storytelling in the public realm. The duo, known for their candy-bright visual language, created a site-specific piece for Dopamine that fuses bold, playful visuals with subtle nods to Macau’s elements and Venetian aesthetics. Their remote collaboration—Craig in New York, Karl in London—is described as a “visual conversation”, a testament to how creativity can transcend borders.

Milstein’s approach is more intimate, rooted in meticulous hand-drawn illustrations that elevate the everyday. Having shifted from conceptual art to illustration after a quarter-life crisis, he now documents city life with isometric precision, where “no detail is more important than another”. His immersive installation at Beyond the Frame pushed that ethos further, inviting audiences into a spatial narrative that meditates on authorship and authenticity in the era of generative AI. “Everything, whether intentional or accidental, tells a story,” he says.

The second talk, From Heritage to Horizon, turned the focus to three Chinese artists whose practices speak to cultural memory and innovation. Lok Hei, born into an artistic family but self-taught, is known for his fibre-pen works that chronicle Macau’s historic crossroads. His 100m-long mural Macao: Back to the Common Roots (2014) captures key episodes in the city’s East–West evolution. Lok also champions arts education, especially in underserved communities, viewing art as a catalyst for social progress.

Bibi Lei’s pastel-toned dreamscapes merge fantasy with autobiography. A mother and former ceramics enthusiast, she rekindled her art practice through her grandmother’s influence—a Portuguese painter—and the magical optimism of Japanese anime like Sailor Moon (1992-1997). Lei’s work often integrates symbols of Macau, including the iconic A-Ma Temple, and her commissions have reached as far as the Saudi Arabian royal family. “Macau is like a fairytale,” she says. “A place I continue to reference.”

Zhou Song, meanwhile, represents a newer wave of Chinese contemporary surrealism. Blending Eastern philosophy with Western visual language, his hyperrealistic, hand-drawn works examine the post-human condition. Inspired by texts such as The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology (2005) by Ray Kurzweil, Zhou interrogates how algorithms now mediate human perception. “Artists must constantly subvert and deconstruct tradition to stay relevant,” he says, challenging viewers to consider the evolving role of creativity in a world shaped by artificial intelligence.

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Taken together, these exhibitions and the conversations around them do more than just reflect Macau’s cultural growth—they reframe it. With Dopamine sparking sensory delight and Beyond the Frame urging deeper contemplation, Sands China has crafted a dual experience that speaks to the heart and the mind. In a city where East meets West, past meets future and joy meets inquiry, these shows don’t just entertain—they invite us to imagine what happiness, identity and artistic freedom might look like in our complex digital age.

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