A total of 143 life-sized painted bears are in town to spread the message of tolerance and international understanding through art via the United Buddy Bears World Tour exhibition.
Among them is the Malaysia Bear, painted by renowned Malaysian artist Imuda, which was unveiled at the launching of the exhibition by Kuala Lumpur Mayor Tan Sri Ahmad Fuad Ismail at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, here, Thursday.
He said Kuala Lumpur was proud to be the host for the eight-day exhibition under the patronage of the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, as it would bring more visitors to the city.
"Kuala Lumpur is very proud to support the United Buddy Bears, the ambassadors of international unity," he said.
The United Buddy Bears, which also aims to raise funds for needy children worldwide, was first launched in Berlin, Germany in 2002. Since then, it has travelled to more than 15 countries, and Malaysia is the first Southeast Asian country to be chosen for its tour.
With the theme, "The Art of Tolerance", the United Buddy Bears World Tour hopes to raise funds with the auctioning of the two-metre tall bears and the proceeds to be channelled to children's charities in Malaysia.
Tourism Malaysia chairman Datuk Dr Victor Wee said the exhibition would further enhance Malaysia as an outstanding tourist destination with myriad activities to suit the preferences of different visitors. He said the exhibition would also add to the vibrancy of the Bukit Bintang-Kuala Lumpur City Centre area, which has been designated as Malaysia's premier shopping precinct.
No comments:
Post a Comment