(Hong Kong, 3 June 2014) – With excitement building for the arrival of the world’s largest art exhibition of decorated elephant statues in Hong Kong, the organisers of Elephant Parade® today announced an exciting collaboration with international action star, also the founder of Go.Asia, Mr. Donnie Yen and his wife Cecilia Wang, who will be lending their artistic talents to support Heep Hong Society.
Mr. Donnie Yen and Ms. Cecilia Wang will be creating this special elephant sculpture to raise awareness for Heep Hong Society, commemorate the organisations’ joint art initiative to “paint a brighter future” for the Asian elephant and support children with special needs in Hong Kong.
Gathering at the Island Shangri-La Hotel, children with the International superstar Donnie Yen and his wife Cecilia Wang, tapped into their creativity to decorate their own elephant sculpture entitled “Shine Bright”, which was donated to the Society and co-designed by Diana Francis, Chief Creative Director of Elephant Parade Hong Kong.
The design for “Shine Bright” was inspired by the children and their aspirations for the future. The gold base coat and ornate details also represent the collaboration with Donnie Yen, a global movie star who shines brightly as a great inspiration for the children. The small hearts over the elephant in red and white also represent the fragrant harbour, echoing the colours found in Hong Kong’s flag.
The elephant will appear alongside more than 100 other individually-painted life-size baby elephant statues designed by renowned local and international artists, designers, and celebrities. The statues will be exhibited at Pacific Place, Cityplaza and Citygate Outlets malls from 1 August to 9 September 2014.
After the exhibition, “Shine Bright” will be auctioned by Sotheby’s along with 20 other elephant statues. Proceeds raised from the sale of “Shine Bright” will be donated to Heep Hong Society to help children with developmental and learning problems reach their full potential in a happy and healthy environment. Funds raised from the auction of the other elephant statues will benefit the Asian Elephant Foundation, an international charity that backs conservation and education projects for the endangered species.
Speaking at the event, Donnie Yen said: “While I am used to tackling death defying action stunts, painting is a completely new challenge for me! It has been very rewarding to extend my creativity into other areas by working on this elephant. I hope my efforts will bring joy to many children in Hong Kong.”
Cecilia Wang said: “Conservation, art and of course the adorable children of the Heep Hong Society are all very close to my heart. It’s been fantastic to be involved in this positive, colourful and uplifting activity with the children and Diana Francis of the Elephant Parade.”
Ms. Diana Francis, Chief Creative Director of Elephant Parade Hong Kong said: “Art provides everyone with a chance to express themselves and gain confidence along the way while also breaking through social, cultural and even educational boundaries. It is especially rewarding if we can brighten the lives through artistic endeavours and collaborations like this, that allow us to celebrate creativity and share our passion through art.”
