The contemporary Buddha painting works of Chinese famous oil painter Liu Jianxia have been exhibited in Gallery 456, Manhattan since Sept 16.

At the opening ceremony, Chinese American Arts Council Chairman Zhou Longzhang issued the awards of Asia's most distinguished artist in 2011 to Liu Jianxia. Past winners of this honorable title have included famous Chinese composer Tayu Lo and performance artist Chang Xiangyu.

Founded in 1975, the Chinese American Arts Council is the only American Chinese organization that is a member of American federal, New York State and municipal art committees at the same time and ever successfully held the concerts of Andy Lau, Teresa Teng and other famous artists.

At the opening ceremony of the art show on Sept 16, Liu Jianxia said the works exhibited were all created within the last two years. She gave up the previous solemn and traditional style dominated by representationalism, and adopted a modern and light-hearted approach and incorporated American culture so that people may understand the intention behind the works more easily. She hopes she can spread Buddhist ideology through her paintings, which proceed from benevolence and love and promotes kindness of the heart.

The figures in her exhibited works don't have sense organs. She explained that this implies we shouldn't pay much attention to superficial things and shouldn't become affected by surrounding environments, we should let the nature take its own course, face life positively but shouldn't hurt others or the society while seeking our own progress. Many of the exhibited painting works are about Buddha on the busy streets of Manhattan. She wants to remind New York people they should maintain a peaceful soul regardless of the busy life.

One of the works is titled Neither Dying nor Living. It was created in commemoration of 9/11. The Bodhisattva is sitting in grey which symbolizes skyscrapers. Lotus in the heart stands for sympathy and love.

Edited by Fu Bo and Tania Lee