2024 Shenzhen-Hong Kong United Heart, Painting Lotus Mountain – Joint Plein Air Sketching Event of Shenzhen and Hong Kong Artists
On November 30, 2024, a unique art exchange event unfolded warmly at Lotus Mountain Park in Shenzhen. More than thirty artists from Shenzhen and Hong Kong gathered together, taking nature as their teacher and their brushes as their medium, to jointly participate in a Shenzhen-Hong Kong joint plein air sketching journey.
Although the specific details of previous events are not fully known, this activity continued the fine tradition of frequent interaction and hand-in-hand progress between Shenzhen and Hong Kong in the cultural and artistic fields over the years. For a long time, artists from the two cities have been exploring artistic expressions bridging city and nature, tradition and modernity, through various forms such as sketching, exhibitions, and seminars. The choice of Lotus Mountain, a symbol of reform and opening-up as well as Shenzhen-Hong Kong friendship, as the location for this sketching event carried profound significance — not only is the scenery beautiful and the vegetation lush, but the mountain also bears the historical memories of reform and opening-up and the contemporary symbol of Shenzhen-Hong Kong collaborative development.
On the day of the event, the weather was clear with a gentle breeze. The artists scattered along mountain trails, the summit plaza, lakeside lawns, and other spots, each choosing their best vantage points. Some focused on depicting the towering city skyline, others immersed themselves in the interplay of light and shadow among the trees, while still others captured warm moments of citizens' leisure life at the foot of the mountain. Different media such as oil painting, watercolor, traditional Chinese painting, and sketching each showcased their strengths, creating a rich artistic atmosphere. Throughout the creative process, artists from Shenzhen and Hong Kong frequently exchanged techniques and shared insights, with differences in language and habits quietly melting away in the face of art.
This joint plein air sketching event not only enhanced the creative enthusiasm and interaction and rapport between the two cities' artists but also further promoted cultural integration and emotional connection between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. In the future, similar exchange activities are expected to become regular, injecting more vibrant and lasting artistic energy into the cultural development of the Greater Bay Area.
