Visit of Chief Editor of ARTBEAT Magazine to FGY Art Gallery Christchurch
On 26th September 2020, the Chief Editor of ARTBEAT Magazine, Dr. Warren Feeney, along with members of Christchurch Art Seen, visited Professor Kuo Yen-Chiao’s Traditional Chinese Painting Exhibition at Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery Christchurch. They were welcomed on arrival by Professor Kuo’s daughter Louisa, Gallery Coordinator Ryan Wang, Gallery staff Juin Mei and Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island Director Kok-Wei Low.
The moment they stepped into the Gallery, the visitors were attracted by the large traditional Chinese paintings. As the exhibition guide, Louisa narrated to the visitors the experiences Professor Kuo had undergone while pursuing his painting career. She also explained to them the meaning behind each painting. From the wide and open sceneries in the paintings, the visitors could feel the smoothening blissfulness of Mother Nature, and from the fine lines of Professor Kuo, they could visualize the mannerism, appearance, and way of life of the characters depicted. From the colour tones of the vegetation, they were able to feel the changing of seasons, the blowing of winds, and the flowing of stream water. Dr. Warren had been to many art exhibitions, yet he insisted that Professor Kuo’s Traditional Chinese Painting Exhibition is currently the most outstanding art exhibition in Christchurch. Unlike most Western paintings, Professor Kuo’s paintings are full of soft beautiful sceneries that are thought provoking.
While in the Gallery, the visitors also toured Gallery Curator Venerable Abbess Manshin’s Thought of a Buddhist Practitioner Floral Exhibition. They were full of praises for Abbess Manshin’s wisdom in coming up with beautiful floral art pieces by using naturally found twigs and colourful flowers in the gardens of the Temples, creating a unique one-of-its-kind style of floral arrangement. The simple floral art pieces in the Gallery had indeed created an artistic ambience with Chan’ connotation, making people feel comfortable, free and peaceful.
Afterwards, the visitors were guided to the Buddha Hall where Louisa explained to them the setup in the Hall and the Buddhist etiquette of praying. The visitors were awestruck by the solemn looking statue of Buddha seated in the Hall. They felt curious about the lighted candles on the altar and sought explanations from Louisa on the significance of light and flower offering in prayer.
Afterwards, the visitors adjourned to the Water Drop Café for their meals. They were full of praises for the delicious vegetarian food served. The visitors were lovers of arts, most of whom were first time visitors to FGY Art Gallery. However, some had visited FGY before the Earthquake but this was the first time they revisited the Gallery after the Earthquake. They were amazed by the beautiful environment of the Temple, and promised to bring their friends and families, in future, for a visit here. The leader of Christchurch Art Seen, Karin, remarked that today’s visit was fruitful; not only did they learn a lot from the Exhibitions, but were very impressed by the solemnity of the Buddha Hall.