Taiwanese artist Luo Guangwei’s sculpture tour exhibition opened grandly in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday, September 5th. The exhibition, sponsored by the SDG Group and the Mingwei Public Welfare Foundation, features over twenty exquisite artworks under the theme of “Love and Peace”. It includes wood carvings, charcoal carvings, ceramic sculptures, bronze sculptures, stainless steel sculptures, and even salt sculptures, each corresponding to the five elements of Eastern philosophy: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
The exhibition runs from September 6th to 11th, open daily from 10 am to 4 pm at the Sonesta Hotel Event Center in Milpitas, California, inviting people from all walks of life to come and appreciate the artistry.
Sculptor Luo Guangwei, with over 30 years of experience in sculpture creation, is renowned for his work with the five elements. He pioneered the techniques of salt and charcoal carving, successfully obtaining patents for salt carving in both the Republic of China and China. The sculpture tour exhibition began in San Francisco and will move to Guangzhou and Suzhou in China in November, then to the Netherlands in Europe, and finally exhibit at the Vatican in March next year.
Luo Guangwei mentioned that salt carving is the most challenging form of creation. Salt, being a crystallization of seawater, absorbs moisture and dissolves in humid conditions, crystallizing into salt grains in dry conditions. It took him approximately six to eight years to solidify the salt and carry out a five-layer waterproofing treatment on the surface of the salt sculptures to create a lustrous finish, ensuring the longevity of his works. His salt sculpture piece “Holy Mary” is planned to be presented as a gift to the Pope during the Vatican exhibition, while the rest of his works will be auctioned off after the tour ends.
The SDG Group, consisting of Mingwei, Lianyuan, Xiewei, and Public Welfare Foundation, aims for sustainable development in both business and culture. The founder of the group, Lin Guodong, hopes to encourage active participation from all employees. This ideology was conceived years ago and initiated cultural promotion efforts in Taiwan three years ago, starting with a dragon boat race in Europe in the first year, followed by a concert the next year, and now, an art exhibition this year.
During the exhibition, artworks by students and teachers from San Francisco’s School of the Arts were also on display. Teacher Feng from the School of the Arts mentioned that realistic art training helps students establish a solid technical foundation, which will benefit them greatly regardless of the path they choose in life.