Aotearoa Quilters’s Cities of the World Exhibition Opening Ceremony at FGY Art Gallery Christchurch
On April 3, the Aotearoa Quilters held its Cities of the World Quilt Art World Tour Exhibition opening ceremony at the New Zealand Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery Christchurch. The ceremony was initiated by FGY NZ Curator Venerable Abbess Manshin, FGY Art Gallery Auckland Manager Venerable Rulian, FGY Art Gallery Christchurch Manager Venerable Jue Xi and 16 other participating artists, with about 30 people present at the venue.
In her opening speech, Abbess said that the exhibition evoked memories of her childhood, when her mother used scraps of cloth to make clothes for each of her siblings. Each piece of clothing made by a mother's hands is warm to the heart when worn. The quilt art is a rare style to be exhibited at the FGY art gallery New Zealand, as each weaving method was unique to each artist, providing alternative insights into the artist’s creativity. In addition, the colourful palette of the quilt pieces is a delight to the viewers, bringing an element of joy to the Christchurch public.
One of the exhibition coordinators, Catherine McDonald, said that the international Cities of the World quilt art World tour exhibition brings together 90 artists, with 30 each from New Zealand, Japan and France respectively. They created their quilt work based on some of the most representative landmarks of each city around the world and she was grateful to the FGY Art Gallery Christchurch for providing the venue for the exhibition in Christchurch. The exhibition seeks to connect visitors from all around the world and they will be bringing the exhibition overseas after this to Japan and Europe.
Five of the participating artists, Catherine McDonald, Julia Arden, Kathleen Burford, Daena Schofield and Lee Harper, led the public through a guided tour of their quilt works. This included an explanation of the composition, inspiration and meaning of their works. Each piece has a strong background story, making it a cultural feast for the viewer while they appreciate the artwork on the tour.
The Cities of the World exhibition will run for one month until 2nd May 2021, and visitors are more than welcome to visit and share the joy of viewing the exhibition with their art-loving friends.