FGY Art Gallery Christchurch Welcoming the Arrival of Spring with Floral Arts
The month of September marks the arrival of spring in New Zealand with blooming flowers everywhere. To bring joy to the people, Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery Christchurch held a demonstration on Floral Arts on 1st September 2020. The demonstration was presented by Gallery Curator Venerable Abbess Manshin, who managed to incorporate Cha’n spirit in her works. This was the 3rd time Abbess Manshin came over to the Gallery for floral arrangement demonstration.
Without any formal training, with her sharp observations, Abbess Manshin is able to come up with her unique style of floral arrangements. In this instance, Abbess Manshin made use of the leaves and branches found in the garden of Fo Guang Shan (FGS) North Island Temple and the Daffodils flowers grown in FGS South Island Temple to create the floral pieces, once again demonstrating the complementary roles played by the North and South Temples. Under Abbess Manshin’s skilful hands, twigs of all shapes and sizes were turned into uniquely beautiful floral pieces. Other than pin-holders, bamboos were ingeniously modified to serve as holding bases. Green, red foliage and yellow Daffodils were used to bring out the strength and robustness of the twigs, creating multi-dimensional art pieces of simple natural elegance. Within a short span of three hours, Abbess Manshin was able to come up with 30 free-styled, creative, rich and yet non-repetitive floral pieces, manifesting the thinking of a Buddhist practitioner.
Working in a confined space, Abbess had her vases, materials and tools meticulously lined up. Maintaining her gracious pose, she would proceed with the selection of twig, followed by trimming of unwanted parts in order to retain the best shape and form of the twig. Throughout the entire three hour demonstration, Abbess Manshin insisted on maintaining a clean and tidy working environment, showcasing the behavior of a true Chan’ practitioner.
The floral art pieces had filled the Gallery with softness and an air of Chan’. Each floral piece conveyed a separate meaning, such as, ‘Standing Tall’, ‘Looking Far’, ‘Unlimited Extension’, ‘Bubbling with Life Forces’ etc. with some even having the 360-degree-vision effect. Abbess Manshin’s floral exhibition is a feast to the visitors’ spiritual appetite. It allows one to feel the beauty of Buddhist arts, and further leading to the purification of one’s soul and mind. FGY Art Gallery Christchurch is at the moment holding Professor Kuo’s Traditional Chinese Painting Exhibition. The inclusion of gallery curator Venerable Abbess Manshin’s floral art works has served to elevate the artistic standard of the Gallery to a higher level.