Works by Loretta Hui-shan Yang, Chang Yi and Taiwanese modernist painter Liu Kuo-sung have all been acquired for a permanent collection in the VIP area of the China Pavilion at Expo Shanghai. The three pose together at the acquisition ceremony in Shanghai.
The Shanghai Expo is a once in a lifetime event. In conjunction with the Shanghai Artists Association and adhering to the strictest standards, the pieces acquired for the permanent collection of the China Pavilion include Yang’s Thousand Arms, Thousand Eyes, Possessing the Knowledge of Sorrow, Chang’s Free Mind from Knowing the Essentiality of All Buddhist Teachings and Liu’s Snow Mountain – Tibet Series. The selected artists are all preeminent representatives of contemporary Chinese art and the selected pieces one of a kind.
On June 10,Yang,Chang and Liu received permanent collection certificates; they were the only three artists from Taiwan to receive such honor and affirmation. The three are beacons of light for Taiwan.
Liu Kuo-sung is a pioneer of contemporary Taiwanese art. He co-founded the Fifth Moon Painting Society and in the barren landscape of early Taiwanese art, gave a new face and style to the scene to earn him the distinction of Father of the New Ink Painting Movement. His impact on contemporary Taiwanese art is tremendous. Loretta Hui-shan Yang was thrilled to meet this elder statesman and said to Chang Yi, “I have been influenced by his perspective and ideas since I was ten. He gave a voice to contemporary Taiwanese art in the time when it had none”.
Thousand Arms, Thousand Eyes, Possessing the Knowledge of Sorrow was a master piece which Yang spend a decade to create. The detail and complexity of the Guanyin sculpture is a rarity in Liuli art. Chang's Free Mind from Knowing the Essentiality of All Buddhist Teachings is a profound reflection upon life. Liu says of the pair, “You two are very accomplished.”
The China Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo is to be a permanent fixture and the work of the three artists will forever be on display in the pavilion.