The Xu Zhimo Art Award was presented to Liu Chunchao of Zhuhai by the Organizing Committee of the 2018 Cambridge Xu Zhimo Poetry & Art Festival, which opened in Britain on Aug 10.

The honor for the curator of the Gu Yuan Museum of Art on West Meihua Road in New Xiangzhou came with an opportunity to showcase his expressive lacquer paintings. A solo exhibition themed Lotus & Prajna was held in the King College's Art Center and Chapel on the same day. The Organizing Committee and Guangdong Artists Association sponsored the event. 

Liu Chunchao, right, awarded certificate 

The key elements of moon and lotus are presented in the works at different phases to depict a complete life cycle. Liu says that as the lotus flower grows in muddy water and rises above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty, it is a symbol of the purity of heart and mind. With his mastery of lacquer painting, a 7,000-year-old craft in China, he combines traditional and contemporary arts in a unique interpretation of "Less is More" -- a popular art and life philosophy.

Poster [Photo courtesy cnarts.net]

The exhibits are also being displayed on the iconic NASDAQ big screen in New York's Times Square from Aug 16 to 22 (local dates) to bring to the world the creative concepts of an oriental artist. 

A Chinese-English bilingual picture album will be released by Cam Rivers Publishing.

King College scarf bestowed 

The Cambridge Xu Zhimo Poetry & Art Festival is named after famous Chinese poet Hsü Chih-mo (徐志摩 Xu Zhimo, 1897-1931). Hsü was briefly a literature researcher at King College (1921-22) of the University of Cambridge where he produced his best-known poem, A Second Farewell to Cambridge (再别康桥 pinyin: Zài Bié Kāngqiáo).

The festival is held annually to promote exchanges and communications between poets, writers, and artists around the world. This year's event attracted some 200 guests and had eight themed art exhibitions.

Liu was also invited to share his poem Buddhism at a poetry reading as part of the festival and was bestowed the symbolic King College scarf.

Liu, born in Lincang, Yunnan Province, is a member of the China Artists Association, China Writers Association, and Chinese Music Literature Association, and enjoys many honorary titles.

NASDAQ's big screen [Photos provided by Liu Chunchao]