How Buddhist nuns at Nan Tien Temple are bringing harmony to Wollongong one brushstroke at a time

Harmony is an exhibition now on at the Southern Hemisphere's largest Buddhist temple, which the nuns say is an opportunity to stretch the imaginations of the artists - and their audience - with 90 works on show.

Read more: What it's like to be a Buddhist nun at Berkeley's Nan Tien Temple

Chief Abbess of Fo Guang Shan Australia and New Zealand, Venerable Manko, said organising the exhibition during the pandemic was to "reconnect with local community and promote harmony as harmony enables everyone to coexist peacefully".

"It is the foundation of the family and the goal of society to achieve prosperity; it also brings peace to the country," she said.

Exhibiting creative Linda Brown said the works brought a gentle balance of conversation, colour and form, and also included artworks by some of the nuns themselves.

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Beth Crawford used recycled clay to create "Nest Egg", which is a reminder of the birdlife and rainforests that need caring in the region.

A ceramic installation by Josephine Dash, "Lost Buttons", is a celebration of the lost, disregarded history and value of traditional buttons.

Nun, Venerable Juewei's art work "Tree of Harmony", combines the technological with natural, demonstrating in the new normal that the key to our survival will be "harmonious co-existence".

The Harmony exhibition is open to the public from 11am to 4pm on weekends only until March 7, 2021, at the Nan Tien Temple art gallery in Berkeley.