The local CA Cultura (CAC) association will be holding an auction entitled “An Embrace of the Elderly, Paintings by Master Sum Wai” this Saturday, aiming to raise more than 100,000 patacas, which will be donated to the Pou Tai Senior Citizen Support Services Complex, a non-profit organisation that provides a wide range of services to the elderly in Macau, including health care, social welfare, and cultural activities, according to a press conference held at Albergue SCM yesterday.
The press conference noted that over 110 paintings covering cartoon Bodhisattvas, peonies and lotus flowers, as well as content related to the life of Master Sum Wai, president of the Buddhist Association of Macau, chairwoman of the management committee of the complex, abbess and president of Pou Tai Un Temple and honorary president of the Macau Culture and Art Association, will be auctioned off. All artworks were created by Master Sum Wai during the three-year COVID-19 pandemic from 2020.
A statement by the CAC association said that Master Sum Wai, who was born in Hong Kong, obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1987, adding that she has dedicated her life to studying and teaching Buddhism, and her artwork reflects her deep spiritual beliefs.
Master Sum Wai said during the press conference that during the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, she used her spare time to create calligraphies and paintings, hoping to relieve the emotions of the employees of the complex. She also said that apart from raising funds for charity, the auction also aims to raise public awareness of the need to support the elderly in civil society.
Master Sum Wai pointed out that the complex is the city’s largest residential care home for senior citizens, which can accommodate up to 400 elderly residents.
The asking prices of the artworks in the auction range from 500 patacas to 5,000 patacas, CAC President Carlos Marreiros said at yesterday’s press conference, adding that so far there were “three to four” bids worth tens of thousands of patacas in total.
The auction will be held at Hall D1 in Albergue SCM, located at 8 Calçada da Igreja de São Lázaro, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
SCM is the Portuguese abbreviation for Macau’s Holy House of Mercy (Santa Casa da Misericórdia). Albergue is the Portuguese word for hospice.
This undated handout photo provided by the local CA Cultura (CAC) association yesterday shows Master Sum Wai, president of the Buddhist Association of Macau, chairwoman of the Pou Tai Senior Citizen Support Services Complex Management Committee, abbess and president of Pou Tai Un Temple, and honorary president of the Macau Culture and Art Association.
