Touring panda art exhibition opens in Hong Kong

A world-touring exhibition featuring more than 20 giant panda-themed artworks is being hosted by Ocean Park Hong Kong, in collaboration with the Sichuan Forestry Department, from Friday to May 29.

The "Pandaful Art — Global Exhibition" features the work of five renowned artists from China, Spain and France and has never been seen before in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, according to Zhang Zhihe, chief of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Among the pieces on display are photographs of panda cubs caught on camera by Zhang Zhihe; surrealist oil paintings that integrate elements of everyday life created by Zhang Qikai; sculptures in red, white and blue by Spanish artist Alejandro Santafé; eye-catching oil paintings produced by France-based Chinese artist Tian Ye; and art installations created by combing different textures by French artist Camille Rophé.

Before arriving in Hong Kong, the touring exhibition visited Yongin in Korea and will next travel to Beijing, Tokyo and other locations worldwide.

Yao Sidan, director of Sichuan Forestry Department, said: "Last year, Ocean Park and Sichuan Forestry Department signed a memorandum of understanding on further collaboration in conservation and education efforts."

Matthias Li, chief executive-elect of Ocean Park, said: "Ocean Park is committed to fulfilling its educational mission through diverse approaches. The panda-themed art exhibition enables us to further expand our educational platform by raising concern for wildlife through art.

"To help the public connect with nature, we signed a new agreement on Thursday with Sichuan Forestry Department to collaborate on various initiatives from now until 2020.

"We will join hands with the different nature reserves in Sichuan to organize eco-tours to the resource-rich province, enabling the public to encounter giant pandas and various rare animals and learn about their habitats."

Besides working with the Sichuan Forestry Department on a wide range of conservation and education initiatives, Ocean Park previously participated in post-earthquake reconstruction projects in Sichuan.

In 2013, it signed the "Sichuan-Hong Kong Wolong Post-Reconstruction Collaboration Agreement" with the Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Sichuan Forestry Department to collaborate on the sustainable development of Wolong, and was appointed administrator of the Sichuan-Hong Kong Wolong Post-Reconstruction Collaboration by the HKSAR government in 2014.

Among the 25 collaborative projects, "The Wolong Sustaining Tourism Development Plan" aims to help Wolong make the best use of HKSAR-funded facilities, and complement resources in the nature reserve to develop eco-tourism.