Art Exhibition Attracted Christchurch Ladbrooks Women Institute’s Senior hearts

On 12 November, Nine female seniors from Christchurch Ladbrooks Women’s Institute with their Leader Liz Stewart visit Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island temple. They are welcomed by Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA)  South Island committee Director Louisa Kuo and Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery CHCH’s Staff Juin Mei.

Louisa introduced the group with her late father’s exhibition Professor Kuo Yen Chiao’s Traditional Chinese Paintings. She explained her father’s painting journey and artistic conception in his works. The group admired Professor Kuo's ingenious artworks. They amazed his paintings just by using ink as a medium to create such masterpiece. In Addition, the poem on each painting shows Professor Kuo’s Chinese Literary with gracefully

Louisa also led the group to Buddha Hall. They interested in the Buddha hall’s arrangement, such as flower, lamp offerings. They also think the cut out wall section which represent Getting to the point is a creative idea to view the port hill from the Buddha hall. Louisa introduced the group with FGS’s Four givings concepts and explained that the one who can give are wealthy and which agreed by them. When the group pick up a Three good Deeds wisdom words which make them felt very happy. As they found the Wisdom words are easy to understand and also very interesting.

Juin Mei also leads the group visit Practitioners Mind Floral Exhibition and the Everlasting Beauty of Dun Huang Art Exhibition. The group very interest with Venerable Abbess Manshin’s flower arrangement as Abbess using simple branches, flower and leaf to create such high quality artworks. The floral Artwork not just presents artistic aesthetics but also conforms with the concept of environmental preservation. In Everlasting Beauty of Dun Huang Art Exhibition, the short film Mogao Grottoes’s Buddha Statues in Dunhuang also attracted their eye viewing experience as well.

The group was satisfied with their short visit of the day, as this visit shown them valuable course toward Chinese arts and introduce new understanding toward Buddhism. Besides that, they felt peaceful and have new kind of aesthetics towards various exhibition in the FGY Art gallery Christchurch. In addition, they stated that Louisa and Juin Mei’s enthusiastic guides made them feel very approachable, they able to learn the good and beauty in this artworks trip.