A calligraphy exhibition, titled "Soul of Ink," is sure to evoke a sense of beauty and spirituality within Richmondites, according to the artist.
The display, showcased at Lipont Place on No. 3 Road in Richmond from July 28 to Aug. 2, has more than 80 scrolls of Chinese artist Qiaofu's traditional Chinese calligraphy and ink paintings.
"Artworks are the best way to send out messages across different countries, (we would like) Canadians (to) know more about Chinese culture through the exhibition," said Qiaofu, who’s in his 70s and traveled from China to Richmond just for the event.
Several years ago, Qiaofu held the same exhibition in Japan and recalled a time when dozens of Japanese from different walks of life admired his work for several hours.
During that time, he realized that "arts has no boundaries or limits and could bring people together."
"We, as humans, are in the relentless pursuit of the good, such as beauty, peace and love. Arts could help people from different cultural backgrounds connect, or at least strike up conversations."
Qiaofu, literally translated as "woodcutter" in Chinese, said he wants to be defined by his art, not his fame.
Born into a well-educated family and inspired by his grandfather, who was a famous calligrapher in the late imperial Qing Dynasty, Qiaofu began practicing writing at an early age.
Nowadays, many local Chinese immigrant families, said Qiaofu, might consider calligraphy as time-consuming with little practical benefit, whereby it's gradually removed from family education.
For Qiaofu, however, calligraphy isn't just visual art, it could also help children learn the nation's history and cherish the beauty of language.
'It might take years to master the calligraphy skills, you need to keep in mind about the writing size, interval, ink colour and balance while practicing," added Qiaofu.
"It's more than beautiful handwriting, the development of calligraphy is embedded in the nation's history and culture. As you start writing calligraphy, the wealth of history unfolds before your eyes."
