
Replicas of the Na’vi, the blue-skinned inhabitants of Pandora Speaking via a pre-recorded video at the opening of the exhibition, director Cameron says: “I’m happy to bring you an exciting new exhibition based on the world of my film, Avatar. You’ll be entertained, captivated and inspired by what you’ll see and experience: amazing creatures, intriguing cultures and breathtaking environments, all inspired by the film’s world, Pandora. You will learn not just about this alien world, but also about its similarity and connection to our own planet Earth.”

Gracing the launch of the exhibition were (from right) MMI group executive director Mike Tiong, his wife, Tian Yan Hua, and Taiwanese celebrity Richie Jen Hsien-chi MMI began negotiating with Lightstorm and GES only late last year to bring the exhibition to China. Normally, an event of this scale would take six to nine months to organise. “Despite time constraints, we were sincere about putting this exhibition together in time because we didn’t want to miss the festive season in China, when many Chinese move back to cities like Shenzhen, and many visitors come in as well,” Tiong adds. The company was also strategic about its choice of Shenzhen for the exhibition to make its debut in China, Tiong says. “We wanted to make a statement in China, which is why we organised [the exhibition] in one of the most high-end, six-star hotels in Shenzhen, located in its central business district. To outsiders, it could be mind-boggling how we put this together in such a short period of time. But it’s because we were able to tap our contacts in China,” Tiong explains.
Tickets are available at www.avatardiscoverpandora.cn. This article appeared in Issue 820 (Mar 5) of The Edge Singapore. Subscribe to The Edge at https://www.theedgesingapore.com/subscribe