Visit of Artist Huang Da An to FGY Art Gallery CHCH
On 11th July 2018, renowned Taiwanese Wood-Firing Ceramics Artist Huang Da An and his assistant visited Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery Christchurch. On hand to welcome the visitors were FGY Art Gallery Curator Venerable Abbess Manshin, Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island Minister-in-charge Venerable Jue Xi, Venerable Zhi Wu, Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island Deputy President Ding Lihson and BLIA South Island comittee member Cao Qian and Low Kok Wei.
In her briefing on the special architectural features of the Temple to the visitors, Venerable Abbess first guided the visitors to the statues of the four Bodhisattvas positioned at the recesses at the external wall of the main entrance, and explained that the designer drew his inspiration from the ‘Longman Grottoes’. Venerable Abbess then elaborated how, by adopting natural and simplistic ways, the designer was able to merge Arts with Buddhist Traditions in the interior of the building. From this perspective, the Buddha Hall was constructed to allow the public to have an open view of the distant Cashmere Hill, and the Time Tunnel was built to produce special visual effects by making use of the rays and shadows cast by the summer Sun. Afterwards, Venerable Abbess led the visitors to the FGY Art Gallery where the Dean Buchanan “Horizons” Oil Painting Exhibition was being held. Dean Buchanan, a New Zealand Artist, is an earnest mountain climber who derives his inspirations from New Zealand’s majestic waters and mountains. With his unending passion, Dean was able to turn these natural landscapes into unique art pieces in semi-abstract forms.
Later, Venerable Abbess briefed Artist Huang about the various activities and services carried out by FGS in New Zealand, among which are the distribution of Master Hsing Yun’s book “366 Days with Wisdom” in New Zealand, and the hosting of “3G4G Cultural Sharing Festivals”. Huang was visibly touched by the positivity brought about to the New Zealand society by Humanistic Buddhism. He was similarly taken in by the role Humanistic Buddhism played in forging a fusion between the Western and the Oriental cultures through the many exhibitions by Artists from both cultures; and by the important role of FGS in the promotion of the local arts.
The “Wood-Firing Ceramics World Tour Exhibition” by Artist Huang at FGY Art Gallery Christchurch from January to April 2018 had been well received by the people of Christchurch. During this visit, Huang took the liberty to narrate how he developed his unique 21-day wood-firing method of firing ceramics. Huang continued with his vivid description of the unpredictable process involved in the development of the glazes and colours of his ceramics. The audience was so taken in by Huang’s narration that, for once, they felt as if they were with Huang in his studio witnessing the firing process and feeling Huang’s patience and passion there and then.