Guy NGAN and his Buddha

Guy designed this Buddha about 20 years ago, based on his childhood memories and his association with the monks of the Bodhinyanarama Monastery at the top of Stokes Valley. When he was young and living in Guangzhou, his mother used to take him and his brother Albert to visit the Buddhist temple on holy days. He remembers the special food that was prepared and the sense of occasion. In 1985, a Buddhist monastery was established up the road from Guy’s house in Stokes Valley, up near the bush line. The monks would visit Guy and he did some work for them, carving a golden fish that sits on one of the buildings’ roof spines. Around this time he produced an ink line drawing of ‘Buddha in Kiwiland’ surrounded by kauri cones, pohutukawa flowers, horoeka leaves, and manuka and kowhai flowers. Separately, he modelled this serene 30cm Buddha out of clay and had it cast at the bronze foundry of Jonathan Campbell, using a very hard form of bronze. There are maybe five or six copies in existence.

Liz NGAN

2015

Guy NGAN

The first time I knew of Guy NGAN[1] [顏國鍇] was when I came across his sculpture Millennium Tree in the Auckland Domain. Not long after, I was fortunate to connect with his daughter Liz NGAN [顏美杏] through working for the Chinese communities. While I might not be able to associate the Millennium Tree to his reference to the ‘Monkey King who could dispel all obstacles, in the Chinese legend’[2], the work is meant ‘To celebrate the contributions the Chinese have made to New Zealand since the 1860s.’’[3]  That stays in my mind.

When I visited Guy, he showed me his work Buddha. I was prompted to recall the saying ‘Buddha is inside our heart (mind) [佛在心中]’. With the help of his daughter Liz, by holding the base of relatively heavy Buddha and hiding below it, I posed a ‘following the Buddha’ portrait of him. Keeping the Buddha in the right position steadily was never easy for Liz and she did it perfectly. Nowadays, whenever I look at the portrait of Guy with his Buddha, the saying continues to linger on but I am not enlightened yet.

Liz resonates to the photograph of inherited objects: “The jewellery on the bronze anchor stone of my Dad, Guy NGAN, is a mix of pieces from both sides of my family. It stretches from my great-grandmother’s Chinese bracelet – a ring and pearls from each of my grandmothers and my own jade bracelet – to New Zealand pounamu in the form of a bi by Donn Salt – and a piece carved by my Dad. Pearls and jade connect me to my family and to both my Chinese and New Zealand background”.  The green of the Chinese jade and the New Zealand greenstone radiates the closeness of a family echoing with the warm afternoon sunlight that flooded in.

[1] Guy passed away on 26 June 2017.

[2] Refer to Orsman, Bernard & Errol Kiong. 2005. “Millennium Tree ends fraught journey”. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2016. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10353165.

[3] Refer to Sang, Ron in Orsman, Bernard &Errol Kiong. 2005. “Millennium Tree ends fraught journey”. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2016. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10353165. 

King Tong HO

2015           

颜国锴和他的佛像

颜国锴约在二十年前设计这尊佛像, 理念来自他的童年记忆、和他在 Stokes Valley 山顶与Bodhinyanarama 寺院的僧人交往的往事。他年少生活在广州的时候, 母亲常在宗教节日带他及兄弟Albert往佛寺，他记得庙里的特殊食物和宗教仪式的氛围。一九八五年, 沿着颜国锴家门的路往上走, 到 Stokes Valley 的灌木丛处, 建了一座佛寺。僧人拜访颜国锴, 请他为寺庙雕刻金鱼, 作为佛寺的屋脊装饰。同一时期, 他创作了水墨画 "Buddha in Kiwiland", 画中满是纽西兰树木花卉。此外, 他用黏土作模型, 由 Jonathan Campbell用特硬的铜铸造了这尊高三十厘米的庄严佛像, 现在存有五至六件铸本。

颜美杏

2015

颜国锴

我是从奥克兰 Domain 公园中的雕塑千禧树 [Millennium Tree] 第一次知道雕塑家颜国锴[1]。不久后, 透过华人社区的工作, 幸运认识了他的女儿颜美杏 。我虽未能领略他的设计构思是把孙悟空克服万难的典故[2] 与千禧树联系起来, 但这件作品的意义 "庆祝十九世纪六十年代后, 华裔为纽西兰所做的贡献[3]", 一直萦绕在我的脑海中。

当我探访他时, 他给我看他的作品 [佛像], 我立刻想起 [佛在心中] 这句谚语。我以 "跟随佛意" 之概念, 替他拍摄肖像。 颜美杏帮忙拿着沉重的佛像保持不动, 又免被照到, 其实颇为困难, 但她做得好极了。而每次回看这张照片, 这句谚语 [佛在心中] 就会在我脑中萦绕, 纵使我尚未顿悟人生。

对祖传物品的照片, 颜美杏的回应是：“放在父亲颜国锴镶铜的石雕作品上，有来自我双亲祖辈的物品, 包括曾祖母的中式玉镯、祖母和外祖母的戒指及珍珠、与及由 Donn Salt 所设计成 bi 款式的我的纽西兰绿玉手镯。珍珠和玉把我和家族、我的华裔和纽西兰背景连在一起。”中国玉石与纽西兰玉石的绿, 折射出这个家庭的亲密关系, 也呼应着洒满一室的温暖午后阳光。

[1] 颜国锴于二零一七年六月二十六日离世。

[2] 参照 Orsman, Bernard & Errol Kiong. 2005. “Millennium Tree ends fraught journey”. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2016. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10353165.

[3] 参照Sang, Ron in Orsman, Bernard & Errol Kiong. 2005. “Millennium Tree ends fraught journey”. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2016. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10353165.

何经棠

2015

顏國鍇和他的佛像

顏國鍇約在二十年前設計這尊佛像, 理念來自他的童年記憶、和他在 Stokes Valley 山頂與Bodhinyanarama 寺院的僧人交往的往事。他年少生活在廣州的時候, 母親常在宗教節日帶他及兄弟Albert往佛寺, 他記得廟裏的特殊食物和宗教儀式的氛圍。一九八五年, 沿著顏國鍇家門的路往上走，到 Stokes Valley 的灌木叢處，建了一座佛寺。僧人拜訪顏國鍇, 請他為寺廟雕刻金魚，作為佛寺的屋脊裝飾。同一時期，他創作了水墨畫 "Buddha in Kiwiland", 畫中滿是紐西蘭樹木花卉。此外, 他用黏土作模型，由 Jonathan Campbell 用特硬的銅鑄造了這尊高三十厘米的莊嚴佛像, 現在存有五至六件鑄本。

顏美杏

2015

顏國鍇

我是從奧克蘭 Domain 公園中的雕塑千禧樹 [Millennium Tree] 第一次知道雕塑家顔國鍇[1]。不久後，透過華人社區的工作，幸運認識了他的女兒顏美杏 。我雖未能領略他的設計構思是把孫悟空克服萬難的典故[2]與千禧樹聯繫起來，但這件作品的意義"慶祝十九世紀六十年代後，華裔為紐西蘭所做的貢獻[3]"，一直縈繞在我的腦海中。

當我探訪他時，他給我看他的作品 [佛像]，我立刻想起 [佛在心中] 這句諺語。我以"跟隨佛意"之概念，替他拍攝肖像。 顏美杏幫忙拿著沉重的佛像保持不動，又免被照到, 其實頗為困難, 但她做得好極了。而每次回看這張照片, 這句諺語 [佛在心中] 就會在我腦中縈繞，縱使我尚未頓悟人生。

對祖傳物品的照片, 顏美杏的回應是：「放在父親顏國鍇鑲銅的石雕作品上，有來自我雙親祖輩的物品，包括曾祖母的中式玉鐲、祖母和外祖母的戒指及珍珠、與及由 Donn Salt 所設計成 bi 款式的我的紐西蘭綠玉手鐲。珍珠和玉把我和家族、我的華裔和紐西蘭背景連在一起。」中國玉石與紐西蘭玉石的綠，折射出這個家庭的親密關係，也呼應著灑滿一室的溫暖午後陽光。

[1] 顔國鍇於二零一七年六月二十六日離世。

[2] 參照 Orsman, Bernard & Errol Kiong. 2005. “Millennium Tree ends fraught journey”. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2016, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10353165.

[3] 參照Sang, Ron in Orsman, Bernard & Errol Kiong. 2005. “Millennium Tree ends fraught journey”, New Zealand Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2016, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10353165. 

何經棠

2015