A blue dog eating the moon? Paintings by poor children give paws for thought

Dogs, dogs, dogs, in a dazzling variety of colours, sizes and attitudes - they are the subject of a watercolour exhibition produced by children from low-income families in Guangdong province, which goes on display in Central on Saturday.

In one image, a blue dog eats the moon. In another, a yellow dog runs among its more normal-coloured human neighbours, in a village flanked by lush trees.

These are not the sort of things that Shanghai Tang, the purveyor of high-end Chinese goods, normally showcases. But its Pedder Street flagship store will display this artwork - by nine- to 12-year-olds from the Jiatian and Foshan Hope schools - until June 27.

The show's goal is to raise funds to help children attend school, and increase awareness about the difficulty that some people have in getting an education.

The exhibition was organised by Shanghai Tang, which supports the two schools under the Teacher of Ten Thousand Generations Foundation. Ten of the 46 pieces in the show were earlier submitted to an art competition organised by a South African organisation, Imbala, which helps children from low-income families receive an education.

This year's theme, the dog, was chosen at the wish of the competition's initiator, Harold Riley, founder of Lowry gallery in Salford Quays, Britain, and an Imbala supporter.

'My drawing refers to a folk tale from the Yau and Zhuang ethnic groups,' said Yi Yancui, 11, of Foshan Hope School. 'When I learned that the theme was dogs, I thought of this story immediately.'