On 20th June 2020, an opening ceremony was organised for the Calm and Chaos Art Exhibition at the Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery Christchurch. The Exhibition was put up by young New Zealand Artists Lucy Andersson and Eliza Sinead. Being their first exhibition, the artists were naturally elated. The opening ceremony was attended by 30 people consisting of Christchurch public and friends of FGY.
The art pieces put up by Lucy consisted of Painted Portraits of Plants. Lucy used watercolor, color pencils and ball point pens as media of painting; and through the delicate fine lines, she was able to bring out the Life Power hidden inside the Flower. Eliza’ on the other hand, used photographic images to show the Life Cycle of Flower, from blooming to withering. The exhibition space was well arranged, emanating a comfortable, relaxed and friendly air; and the exhibits were displayed in a way that allowed the viewer to feel as if riding on a smooth soft breeze. Lucy and Eliza hoped that the normally busy City folks could, through their visits to the Exhibition, loosen themselves up physiologically and spiritually.
The visitors that day were mostly from the local community. They spent time carefully going through each piece of artworks and were full of praises for the two young and innovative artists. Some of them spent long hours at the Exhibition, engaged in deep thoughts as they went through the art pieces. Most of the visitors claimed that the Exhibition made them feel warm and relaxed, and it caused them to stop and ponder over the meaning of ‘Life’. Lucy and Eliza were glad to see the visitors’ reactions, as this only went to prove that the artworks were able to reach the hearts of the visitors positively.
Lucy graduated from the Design and Arts College of New Zealand and is deeply interested in Color Painting Art. Whereas, Eliza is a graduate of Dunedin School of Art and holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts with Honors, and has been very passionate about Art since young. Lucy and Eliza met each other at FGY Art Gallery Christchurch, and because of their common interest in Art, they agreed to hold a Joint Exhibition to showcase their artworks. Lucy and Eliza thanked FGY Art Gallery Christchurch for making their dream come true by providing the perfect venue for their first Art Exhibition. The Exhibition was originally planned to be held from April to June 2020 but had to be postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, with the support and cooperation of FGY Art Gallery, the Calm and Chaos Art Exhibition was able to be successfully launched on 20th June 2020.
On the first day of the Exhibition, a piece of exhibit was bought by a visitor. Eliza and Lucy were overwhelmed by the sale, and were deeply encouraged. Nevertheless, they hoped that the Exhibition should not be purely a platform to showcase the artworks, but should also serve as a venue for the busy and hectic souls to seek some rest. It is hoped that in the process of finding the meaning behind the art pieces, people will be able to discover the tranquility hidden deep in their inner souls, and thereafter, to find Lives’ positive forces.
