<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:SimHei;
panose-1:2 1 6 9 6 1 1 1 1 1;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Verdana;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"\@SimHei";
panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS Minngs";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"\@MS Minngs";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoNoSpacing, li.MsoNoSpacing, div.MsoNoSpacing
{mso-style-priority:1;
margin:0cm;
text-align:justify;
text-justify:inter-ideograph;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:2078018444;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-894947426 269025295 269025305 269025307 269025295 269025305 269025307 269025295 269025305 269025307;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-18.0pt;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-18.0pt;}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-18.0pt;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-18.0pt;}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-18.0pt;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-18.0pt;}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0cm;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0cm;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-CA link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><i><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>For Immediate Release<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=left style='text-align:left'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Lipont Gallery, Lipont Place present</span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:red'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=left style='text-align:left'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:red'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=left style='text-align:left'><b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The Origins of Our Souls – Art by Pepe Hidalgo and Guo Yan</span></b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:red'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=left style='text-align:left'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=left style='text-align:left'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Virtual Exhibition</span></b><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:red'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=left style='text-align:left'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>YKLM Auctions App or </span><a href="https://bit.ly/2IC8T3n"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>https://bit.ly/2IC8T3n</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=left style='text-align:left'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Lipont Gallery, 4211 No. 3 Road, Richmond BC V6X2C3</span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:red'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Exhibition The Origins of Our Souls – Art by Pepe Hidalgo and Guo Yan showcases twenty five medium to large scale acrylic paintings by artist Pepe Hidalgo, a renowned Spanish artist living in Delta, BC; thirteen large-scale oil paintings by Chinese-Canadian artist Guo Yan; and twenty five pairs of 8 x 10 inches paintings, of which odd numbered paintings are by artist Pepe Hidalgo, the corresponding even numbered paintings are by artist Guo Yan. Each pair of paintings are the result of the duo’s communication over the language barrier with the help of Hidalgo’s wife Noreen Marte and Guo Yan’s English-speaking friends. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Hidalgo speaks Spanish. Guo Yan speaks Mandarin. They met at an exhibition titled Bridges of Friendship in 2019 at Lipont Gallery, which was organized by the Consulate of Mexico in Vancouver on an annual basis to bring together Mexican artists and local artists of different cultural background to showcase their recent artworks and enrich the cultural life of the community. The two artists’ conversation started at Hidalgo’s painting The Spinners, which is a contemporary interpretation of Diego Velázquez' masterpiece Las Hilanderas (The Spinners). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Shortly after, Hidalgo and Guo kicked off on a year-long collaboration of the twenty-five pairs of paintings despite the language barrier. They considered it innovative soul-to-soul communication. It was revolutionary for both artists’ careers and the results are stunning. The themes of the paintings touch on folklores, cultural symbols, local art scenes, abstract subjects, cityscapes around the globe, spaces that inspired them and so on. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:33.65pt;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:36.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>“Although our styles cannot be more different, coincidences keep happening in our paintings, such as the subject matter. We have a common love for classic works that have influenced us throughout our careers. We must admit that each of us is a prisoner of culture. The art education we have received affects us like a brand, which is reflected in our works without fail.” – Guo Yan 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>During the year-long collaboration, they each finished a body of work prolifically in their own unique styles as well, which are on view together with the twenty-five pairs of paintings virtually at YKLM Auctions App or </span><a href="https://bit.ly/2IC8T3n"><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>https://bit.ly/2IC8T3n</span></a><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Media Contact<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Patrick Li Pascal<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(604) 285-9975 ext. 207<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(778) 288-5108<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:patrick.l.pascal@lipont.com">patrick.l.pascal@lipont.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Facebook.com/lipontgallery<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Twitter.com/lipontplace<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Instagram.com/lipontgallery<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Lipont Gallery</b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Established in 2017, Lipont Gallery is devoted to presenting contemporary art by Vancouver-based artists and international artists covering a diverse range of mediums. It is the gallery’s vision to increase the community’s enjoyment and understanding of art through our programming. Our direction is grounded on supporting and highlighting local talent by providing artists with the resources to exhibit work that might otherwise go unrecognized. We are proud to collaborate with a wide range of organizations on exhibitions that enable the integration of diverse voices to broaden the scope of the current contemporary sphere in our community.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;background:white'>Toni Zhang McAfee<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;background:white'>Lipont Gallery<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;background:white'>4211 No.3 Road Richmond BC V6X2C3<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;background:white'>(604) 285-9975<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>