Opening Ceremony of Zen Painting and Calligraphy-Tranquillity - 5 February

Zen, also called Ch'an, is the Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit term dhyana; it means quiet contemplation.

Ch'an Master QingYuan said that "Ch'an is our "mind". This mind is not the one that discriminates and recognizes things. It is our "true mind." This true mind transcends all tangible existence, yet it manifests itself in all existences in the universe. Even the very ordinary things in the universe are full of subtleties of Ch'an."
[Extracted from Buddhism in Every Step booklet number 2 - The Essence of Ch'an, Page 1 and 2 ]

Mr Kim Hoa Tram has held group and solo exhibitions around the world: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, USA, Canada and Australia. His paintings are selected as parts of the collections in the Australia National Galleries (Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Hamilton, FGS Wollongong, Asialink) and Suzhou University in China.

FGS Auckland had a great honour in inviting Mr Kim to exhibit his 22 paintings. It took him 2 years to prepare enough exhibits, due to the high demand for his work.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was conducted by Abbess Manshin, BLIA Auckland Chairperson Peter Young, Dr. Mae Anne Pang (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia), Daniel Tu, Chinese Female Entrepreneur Association Chairperson Madam Shi-Guo and Director of NZ WTV Mr Zhang.

During the opening ceremony, Mr Kim Hoa Tram mentioned how the tranquil ambiance of FGS Auckland had incorporated well with the theme of his exhibition. Dr Mae Ann Pang, the creative director and his friend Daniel Tu were here in Auckland to assist with the setup.

Dr Pang had mentioned that the work of Mr Kim is a process of a self-discovery and the essence of life. She had followed his work for the last 10 years.

Mr Kim has acquired a unique skill of Chinese water painting where his strokes are not fully defined, as it is a difficult skill to attain. Mr Kim uses painting as a vehicle to express his inner experience of Zen and life; it is empty, pure and still. Empty space plays an important role in his works, it is 'invisible painting' that cannot be seen but can be heard and felt. Although his works are of simple strokes, it may take him few months to compose the structure, proportion of emptiness of his ideas, to present to the general audience.

His exhibition will held from 5 February to 8 April 2012, Tues to Sunday, 10:30am to 4:00pm.