Paper Tales brings together eleven Hong Kong artists in a poetic exploration of paper as a medium of transformation. Presented by Swire Island East in collaboration with the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, the exhibition unfolds as an immersive journey inspired by the Alpine legend of the Snow Goddess—a tale of longing, courage, and the birth of the first edelweiss.
At ArtisTree, the story is reimagined through a constellation of installations that reveal the material intelligence of paper: its fragility, its tensile strength, and its capacity to hold light. From intricate paper‑cutting to sculptural book forms and suspended dioramas, the works trace a landscape where myth and craft meet.
A World Animated by Light
The exhibition’s visual language is unified through the lighting design of Chiyung Wong, whose work shapes the emotional and spatial rhythm of the entire environment. Light becomes a narrative agent—animating surfaces, revealing hidden textures, and guiding visitors through shifting atmospheres. Cool glacial tones, warm glimmers, and subtle transitions echo the emotional arc of the Snow Goddess’s world, allowing each artwork to breathe, shimmer, and transform.
Through this interplay of paper and light, the exhibition becomes a living tableau: a world that moves between stillness and motion, delicacy and intensity, intimacy and scale.
Exhibition Highlights
Maze‑like Ice Tunnel by Pauline Yau
A threshold of shadow and illumination that opens the journey into the icy realm.
Crystal Palace by SumSum Tse
A crystalline architecture of layered paper and reflective surfaces, animated by dynamic lighting sequences.
Story‑telling Installation by Percy So
Sculptural books and paper‑cut vignettes that bring the legend into tactile form.
Small World Dioramas
Eight miniature universes created by Aeroporto, Margaret Chu, Graphic Airlines, Candice Keung, Hanison Lau, Salon de Pigeon, Tereza Tan, and local secondary school students.
Ambient Soundscape by Nick Harvey
A sonic layer that deepens the exhibition’s sense of immersion.
Engagement and Learning
Costumed performers lead guided tours that weave narrative and spatial experience together, while hands‑on workshops introduce visitors to paper‑cutting and creative reuse, extending the exhibition’s ethos of imagination and craft.