The Prince Siddhartha Exhibition to Celebrate the Buddha's Birthday
The Prince Siddhartha Exhibition was reopened on 9th April 2022, the eve of the Buddha’s Birthday Celebration in FGS Auckland. Over 350 people visited the exhibition on the first weekend in conjunction with the Buddha's Birthday Celebration. This exhibition will play an important educational role for the 3G4G Festival of Culture Sharing in May 2022.
The exhibition hall was prepared and decorated a month before with the guidance of the FGY Art Gallery NZ Curator, Abbess Manshin. Team members includedVicky Han, Winnie Guan and volunteers. There are few highlight such as the Three Goodness Tree which place outside the exhibition hall was creatively decorated with Hydrangeas and the different colour of paper flowers were used to symbolic the Buddhist flag. All these wonderful decorations are filled with the values of 3G4G which attract visitors to took photos.
In the exhibition hall, the statue of Prince Siddhartha and five lively elephants bring the message of Five Harmonies, catching the attention of the visitors. Besides that, a Children Activities Area was set up for reading and solving puzzles. The reading material is One Hundred Parables, which uses simple words and vivid pictures to explain the philosophy of life, inspire the right attitude to children including gratitude, appreciation and cultivate a soft and gentle heart. Additionally, there are over 1000 Dharma words by Venerable Master available for visitors to read to gain wisdom and inspiration. All in all, the design concept of the exhibition hall is surrounded with the Three Act of Goodness, Four Givings and Five Harmonies that aim to spread beautiful and positive vibes to everyone.
Art Gallery Staff Winnie shares that most of the visitors came along with family, they were excited to took photos under the colourful LED lights, enjoyed watching the video - The Life of the Buddha. One of the parent, Mr Ma expressed that the puzzle interactive game was great for parents and children to develop patience together. Besides that, a six-year-old boy, Jack visit the exhibition after attended his mother's memorial ceremony with his family. After solving the puzzle, he was relieved of his sadness and smiles appeared on his face. Moreover, a mother of three was surprised that her children calmed down immediately when they walked in to the exhibition. In sum, children enjoyed the exhibition and had a great time with it!