Hosting of the Opening Ceremony for Yao Hong-ying’s Magnificence of Embroidery Exhibition at FGY Art Gallery Christchurch
On 15th May 2021, Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery Christchurch hosted the Opening Ceremony of Embroidery Artist Yao Hong-Ying’s Magnificence of Embroidery Exhibition. The Opening Ceremony was attended by hundreds of guests, including representative of the Labour Party and Member of Parliament for Christchurch Central Dr Duncan Webb, Christchurch Deputy Mayor Andrew Turner, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Christchurch Wang Zhi Jian, Christchurch City Councillor Anne Galloway, Canterbury Embroiderers’ Guild Chairperson Marie Meyer, Christchurch City Library Representative Rose Crossland, Artist Keith Morant and his wife, Artist Leonore Ashby and his wife, Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island President Bernie, and Friends of FGY.
At the opening ceremony, a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony was carried out, kicking off the "Magnificence of Embroidery Exhibition". FGY Curator Venerable Abbess Manshin said in her speech, "The 11-year-awaited Yao Hong Ying’s Magnificence of Embroidery Exhibition has finally reappeared with her exquisite works presented to the people of Christchurch. In recent years, the people of Christchurch have experienced several disasters and need to be cheered up with colours and inspirations. Embroidery Artist Yao Hong Ying’s meticulously embroidered works portray a colourful artistic style that will bring joy and hope to the people of Christchurch. This, in a way, fulfils Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s wishes of giving joy to the people of Christchurch.”
Member of Parliament Dr Duncan Webb, who has a profound connection with FGY Art Gallery Christchurch said in his speech, "I very much love to come to FGY Art Gallery to visit different exhibitions because they will bring me unexpected gains. Artist Yao Hong-ying’s embroidery works are impeccably detailed, and, through viewing these rare pieces of art, I feel as if I am in a lively dialog with the artist herself.” Christchurch Deputy Mayor Andrew Turner attended the event on behalf of Mayor Lianne Dalziel. Andrew claimed that Yao Hong-ying’s Embroidery Exhibition provided him a deep insight into the charm of Embroidery. The Exhibition was indeed a rare and unique experience for him.
Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Christchurch Wang Zhi Jian said, “I feel honoured to attend the Opening Ceremony of Magnificence of Embroidery at FGS today. I am also very pleased to see so many New Zealand friends coming to appreciate the traditional Chinese embroidery art with me. Suzhou embroidery is China’s intangible cultural heritage with a history of more than 2,000 years. Through the continuous development and innovation of artists from generation to generation, the present skills and artistic styles of Suzhou embroidery have been formed. Artist Yao Hong Ying is an outstanding representative of Suzhou embroidery art in contemporary era. I would like to thank FGS for their efforts in bringing this exhibition and so many exquisite works of Artist Yao to us, especially since the Covid-19 has not been effectively controlled in some parts of the world. Thanks to your tireless efforts over the years, people of all ethnic groups in South Island could have the opportunities to enjoy Chinese culture and art as of today. Thank you for your important contributions to promoting cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between peoples. I believe today’s exhibition will leave a deep impression on every one of us. I also look forward to coming to FGS for more cultural activities in future. Again, I wish this exhibition a success!”
Canterbury Embroiderers’ Guild Chairperson Marie Meyer said, “As an embroiderer, I am amazed by Ms. Yao Hong Ying's ingenious works. Her aesthetic artistic attainments cannot be matched.”
Gallery Curator Abbess Manshin introduced the exhibition works Drunken beauty and Five Dragons to the public. The Drunken beauty used a character from Beijing opera in the painting of the Painter Liu Ling hua. The stitching method used for the Drunken beauty was a combination of random stitch embroidery and fine flat stitch embroidery, with the use of a variety of rich colours to show the actions and expressions of the character. On the other hand, Dragon has been a symbol of Chinese culture and civilisation, and the five-claw dragon emblem was quite common in China, especially in Ming and Qing art. They were often carved on doors, embroidered on robes, or painted on ceramic works.
Attendees of this Opening Ceremony greatly admired the beautiful traditional embroidery art of the Orient. The embroidery works were delicate and elegant works with clear stitches of threads. Painting brushes were replaced by needles and colour inks by silk threads. The silk threads were divided into 1/64 in the embroidery works. Regardless of whether she was using flat stitching, random stitching or double sided stitching, Artist Yao demonstrated her dedication and exquisite craftsmanship. Such fine embroidery art is a realm the Western art still cannot surpass. Artist Yao Hong Ying employed meticulous care and high level of proficiency in all her creations and used silk threads of different characteristics and colours to enrich the connotations of her works.
The Magnificence of Embroidery Exhibition was a sensation when it was held in Christchurch 11 years ago (2010), and it has now reappeared. The people of Christchurch were grateful to FGY Art Gallery for the careful arrangement, and they promised to invite their families and friends to visit and enjoy this rare Exhibition.