Amidst a cold night on 9th of June in the Southern Atmosphere, under the leadership of the Minister in Charge of Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery Auckland, Venerable Rulian, staff member Vicky Han and an expert of sea freight, Nick Yoong, BLIA NZ YAD members were busy categorising and packing the artworks produced by International artist, Keith Morant. A total of 104 masterpieces from Mr Morant will be shipped to Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery Headquarters located in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, after a series of careful cross-checking and highly efficient packing by BLIA YAD members.
Born in England, Keith Morant exhibited in London until 1973, when he moved to New Zealand and settled in Christchurch. He has drawn and painted obsessively for as long as he can remember and, while classically trained, has always followed his path of individual expression. Since the 1980s, he has exhibited extensively on the international stage and won many International Art awards.
Morant held his large solo exhibition Ringing True of over 250 paintings at Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery Christchurch in August 2017 with great success. Whereafter, during a discussion with curator Venerable Abbess Manshin and the youth, Morant was inspired by the Rhythm of the World words on youth’s polo shirt. He felt the power of music and decide to use Rhythm of the World as his theme in the exhibition at Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery Auckland. This exhibition spans music, art, language, faith and life.
He spent more than half a year creating a series of works that shows the rhythm and harmony on all levels. In August 2018, 70 newly paintings were exhibited at Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery Auckland. Each piece of work is unique, protruding a fusion of abstraction and harmony. He Morant hopes to express to the public through mind and art, drawing all the good and beautiful notes in life. These beautiful notes are the most touching Rhythm of the World. Morant and his wife admired Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s wisdom and compassion in Humanistic Buddhism. They participated in various activities held by the temple and developed a deep connection with the temple.
The curator of Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery NZ, Abbess Manshin, urged the team to uphold the value of ‘Giving’ in Humanistic Buddhism to provide a platform to the local artists to showcase the artworks produced by local artists internationally. She hoped that The Rhythm of Life World Tour Exhibition could give the public aesthetic pleasure whilst maximising art’s power, bringing more joy to the public.