The Consulate General of Uruguay hosted a cultural event highlighting Uruguayan arts and literature in Guangzhou on Shamian Island on April 19.
Guests enter the venue of the cultural event held on Shamian Island, Guangzhou, on April 19.
The second edition of the "Treasures: Flowers of the East Coast" event was launched with a ceremony held at the headquarters of the Art Institute of the Orient(AIO). Diplomats from the consulates general of Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and Portugal, as well as the directors of the Sun Yet-sen Library of Guangdong Province and those of the AIO attended the event, which also attracted enthusiasts for Uruguayan literature and arts.
The event featured a presentation of the book Rare Flowers, Hidden Country by renowned Uruguayan writer Silvia Guerra, an exhibition showing paintings by Uruguayan artist Cindy Cal, who has been studying in China since 2017, and a photography exhibition by Sinhaí Pacheco depicting Uruguayan women.
Rare Flowers, Hidden Country, which compiled the works of 55 Uruguayan female poets born between 1797 and 1939, was exhibited in multiple Latin American countries in 2023. And the author, Silvia Guerra, has devoted her life to studying and promoting Uruguayan poetry, especially the poetry of Uruguayan women.
"For a country like Uruguay with not a very large population, having so many outstanding women in every generation is truly rare,” she remarked. This was also the inspiration for the title of her book.
Silvia Guerra shares her work Rare Flowers, Hidden Country during the cultural event.
The painting exhibition of Cindy Cal, with the name "Fiori 366, Uruguay and China," was a presentation of paintings of rare Uruguayan flowers done with the techniques of traditional Chinese painting, creating a dialogue between Chinese and Uruguayan floras. "If there is an influence on the style in which I chose to represent this project, it is my great admiration for traditional Chinese painting, and I have adapted it to my own personal style," said Cal.
The artwork of Cindy Cal.
Cindy Cal interacts with attendees during the cultural event.
For the photography exhibition, photographer Sinhaí Pacheco used flowers as a thread to showcase the power, creativity, and artistry of women through her images. She believed that through photography, she could actively utilize feminine attributes to do more, create more, and integrate more of the world’s diversity into her work.
Guests exchange at the cultural event.
"We seek to continue fostering the links between China and Uruguay through literature, poetry, photography, and painting of Uruguayan artists," said Facundo Simón Fernández Guerra, Consul General of Uruguay in Guangzhou.
Facundo Simón Fernández Guerra, Consul General of Uruguay in Guangzhou, delivers a speech at the cultural event.
According to Guerra, the National Library of Uruguay and the Guangzhou Library have signed an agreement for partnership. Furthermore, Uruguay has established close ties with the Sun Yet-sen Library of Guangdong Province and has also cooperated with Shantou University, where a Uruguayan literary space has been set up.
The exhibitions will be open until April 30, serving as an important showcase of Uruguayan culture and an essential opportunity for cultural exchange between China and Uruguay.
Reporter | Lydia Liu, Xie Chunhong (Intern), Chen Jinqing (Intern)
Editor | Nan Hu, Will, James
