In recent years, the entertainment industry is dominated by talent shows. From pop song contests to drama competitions, these have been met with much enthusiasm and sustained interests from the audience. The young winners that emerge from the eager contestants not only succeed to capture their own fans, they are also able to reap opportunities for advancing their artistic ambitions, and the promise of a glamorous, lucrative career awaits them. Such talent contests are also quite common in the arts field, in various parts of the world, and have opened doors for many new artists over the years. In general, the winners can acquire much prestige from these competitions and may sometimes be offered contracts, which is seen as a significant step in their creative careers. Recently, such talent exhibitions have taken place in the UK and Macao, which offer reference points to the emergent artists keen to enter the arts and cultural field.

RA Summer Exhibition

With a history of 247 years, the Summer Exhibition is one of the best-known exhibition events of the Royal Academy of Art. Each year, the Academy will openly recruit for talented artists from all over the country. Anyone with an interest in art-making, regardless of gender, race, age or occupation, can submit their artworks to the exhibition. Upon receiving these entries, the organiser would invite the experienced, well-esteemed professors, art critics and artists to judge the competition. In this year alone, over 12,000 artpieces had been submitted, from which the panel will shortlist over 1,100 artworks for the final competition.

This kind of art exhibits submitted by people from different social strata can be seen as representing the latest British contemporary art scene. From traditional paintings, art prints, sculptures to architectural models, the exhibits highlight the fashionable trends, styles and aesthetics of contemporary art. However, such exhibition activities offer more than a platform for appreciation. In fact, artpieces exhibited can be bought and sold, and visitors can even enquire about commissioning art from artists featured in this exhibition. The thoughtful organiser has even produced a comprehensive art catalogue for the audience, detailing information on and the selling price of each exhibit. This system allows the showcase of emerging art talent where the quality of art exhibits is assessed by professionals, and encourages the public to take an interest in buying art. The artists can enjoy the media publicity of the exhibition as well as receive revenue for their works. In this way, both artists and the community can benefit from the art showcase.

Macao’s New Art Wave Expo – An international arts expo for art graduates

This year, Macao’s inaugural New Art Wave Expo emerging talent show focuses on the art exhibits by art graduates from all over the world. It aims to provide a platform for talented, emerging artists to feature their works in the art market. As a new initiative, it has attracted over 328 emerging art practitioners from over 20 countries and regions, with most participants coming from mainland China, Macao and Taiwan. During the exhibition period, the organiser has invited leading art curators, critics and art college professors in and outside Macao to help to select the best works from the collection. As revealed in its mission statement, the event aims to promote the passion for art and to encourage creation. It is hoped that this generation of emerging artists showcased can further their practices in the local art scene and encourage more art expos to take place in Macao, thereby making the art market much more vibrant.