Community Engagement
2020 Chan∙Art∙Sculpture Exhibition
From the 25th of December 2020 to the 28th of March 2021, HYEF sponsored the Chan Art Sculpture Exhibition and Nan Tien Sculpture Award, co-hosted for the first time by Nan Tien Temple (NTT) and Nan Tien Institute (NTI). The exhibition was part of the gallery’s Community Engagement Art Project to encourage the community to get involved in the arts, and to promote multiculturalism and harmony within the community during the pandemic. The theme of the exhibition was “Harmony”. Venerable Man Ko, Chief Abbess of Fo Guang Shan Australia and New Zealand, claimed that this was the first time such a large-scale exhibition has been held since the beginning of the pandemic. The exhibition presented an opportunity for artists to showcase their work to the public during this difficult time, adding to the joy and harmony that is shared over Christmas and the New Year. 20 participating artists brought their exquisite sculptures to install in NTT and NTI from the 15th to the 21st of December. Among these entries was a 9-year-old girl and 3 scout groups who participated in the children’s group. There were also 15 non-participating sculptural works. The exhibition was hosted outdoors, and the sculptures were installed across the serene grounds of Nan Tien Temple. The judges expressed that walking through the grounds to see the sculptures was a comfortable and rare experience. The winner of the 2020 Nan Tien Sculpture Award was Michael Purdy, with his sculpture of a modern civilisation balancing precariously on a traditional Roman column, titled “Precarious”. The sculpture represented how humans have neglected the earth to pursue fame and fortune.
The Nan Tien Sculpture Commendation Award went to Ulan Murray and Rachel Burns, for their collective work “Cascading Sacred Fig”. Their sculpture depicted a fig tree made of weathering steel and complex roots, representing the balance between a tree and its roots. Sophie Flood, who is only 9 years old, was the winner of the Junior Nan Tien Sculpture Award, with her sculpture “Driftwood Deer” which was taller than her. The Junior Nan Tien Commendation Award went to the BLIA Sydney Scouts Chatswood. Their sculpture, “Glowing Jellyfish”, was made up of recycled plastic bags and bottles which would light up at night. When the wind blew, the jellyfish would float and make noise in the wind. The judges felt that the visual and auditory effects were very creative. The exhibition was successful in generating a unique space where artists could share their work and people could come together, during a time of crisis, to celebrate the arts.
