Fluid strokes flow scarlet across the page. It is the national bird in flight, a familiar symbol rendered in a most beautiful and unfamiliar form by the hand of Chinese painter Zhao Yanbin. Mr. Zhao’s piece was a gift to the President of Trinidad and Tobago, Anthony Carmona, and his visit to the nation, alongside calligrapher Yang Chongguang, is both gift and cultural exchange to art lovers and learners from the Confucius Institute (CI) at The UWI’s St. Augustine Campus.
As part of their 10-year anniversary, CI brought the highly accomplished and acclaimed Chinese artists to Trinidad and Tobago in late September for a two-week Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition.
“The purpose of the visit was to hold an exhibition, do a lecture series and hold workshops,” explains Meghan Ghent, Secretary of CI. “They exhibited their work and conducted activities at both The UWI and NALIS (the National Library) for students interested in learning Chinese calligraphy and painting.”
The artists were given an opportunity to meet with President Carmona (an art enthusiast himself) and presented him with both the scarlet ibis painting and a work of calligraphy with the character “longevity”. What was intended to be a 20-minute visit between the President and the contingent from CI lasted over an hour.
Both Mr. Zhao and Mr. Yang are extremely respected artists and teachers in China. Mr. Yang, a professor at Beijing University, gave workshops on the basics of calligraphy and “bang shu”, a style appropriate for writing large script. Mr. Zhao gave workshops on the freehand, flowing and impressionistic style of Chinese painting. During their 15-day stay they taught an array of people, including students from The UWI, primary and secondary school students and art lovers of all ages with an interest in these exotic (to the region) styles.
The exhibition and workshops were extremely well-received, both at NALIS and UWI and at a one-day event at the Brian Lara Promenade in Port of Spain. Many of the works were purchased.
Professor Hu Youzhen, Chinese Director of CI at the St. Augustine Campus, says activities like the exhibition are an excellent way of strengthening the ties between China and Trinidad and Tobago:
“Cultural activities are a very good way to engage an audience in T&T. Culture is a very good way to learn about people,” she says.
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