The “Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival” (the Arts Festival) is a three-year arts project organised by Tourism Commission, supported by Hong Kong Geopark and curated by One Bite Design Studio. The first year of the Arts Festival is held from 16 November 2022 to 15 January 2023.
To leverage the successful integration of arts with the island under the first edition the Yim Tin Tsai Arts Festival, the new edition of the Arts Festival will extend to the vast Sai Kung Hoi, with Yim Tin Tsai as the centre and reaching out to Sharp Island, Kau Sai Chau and High Island. Through the Arts Festival, themed as “Joy Again, Isle”, visitors would meet, connect, experience the healing power of arts and nature through visits to the isles; and enjoy the fun of art tour through island hopping.
The focus of each year’s Arts Festival is on artworks creation, responding to topics such as villagers’ stories, rural-urban balance, nature conservation, cultural inheritance, religion and culture, supplemented by guided tours and programmes. The Arts Festival offers a new perspective for visitors to explore the isles, a chance to explore and reflect on one’s relationship with the nature, and an experience of the unique Hong Kong culture of the isles.
The Arts Festival kicked off in Yim Tin Tsai, a place with Catholic and Hakka culture, and Sharp Island, a place with special landforms. Nine groups of local artists have been invited to create multidisciplinary nine artworks – six in Yim Tin Tsai and three in Sharp Island – and involve villagers during the process to reflect local life stories and the natural environment.
Artwork Highlights:
Homeward Voyage by Margaret Chu
Cross-disciplinary artist Margaret Chu designs an art installation in the form of a small boat combined with doves. Located close to the pier, the artwork expresses God’s blessing on the villagers for their safe return to home.
Water Dragon by Joseph Chan
Kinetic artist Joseph Chan creates the “Water Dragon”, utilising modern aesthetics and mechanical designs, to enable the old important tool “dragon spine water wheel” to reappear in the saltpans.
Moonrise in Daylight by Breakthrough Art Studio
Responding to the nature and landforms, weaving artists Breakthrough Art Studio choose the tombolo to house their work “Moonrise in Daylight”, which aims to interpret the delicate relationship between humans and time through the natural landscape and flow of the tide.
A Grand Pineapple Bun Tour by Maoshan Connie and St. James’ Creation
As one of the geosites of Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark, one of the special features of Sharp Island is the natural tombolo that only emerges at low tide and the unique Pineapple Bun Rocks. Illustrator Maoshan Connie collaborates with ceramics studio St. James’ Creation to create “A Grand Pineapple Bun Tour”, which is a series of 10 colourful ceramic art pieces placed along the Sharp Island Country Trail, linking the Pineapple Bun Rocks on Sharp Island with Hong Kong’s favourite traditional food. Maoshan also creates a unique Sharp Island pineapple bun story map according to the landscape.
Details of the Festival:
| Organiser | Tourism Commission |
| Partners | Supporting Partner: Hong Kong GeoparkCuratorial Partner: One Bite Design Studio |
| Event | Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival |
| Date | 16 Nov 2022 – 15 Jan 2023 |
| Location | Yim Tin Tsai and Sharp Island, Sai Kung |
| Highlight activities | Visit Yim Tin Tsai and Sharp Island to enjoy nine artworks, and join the guided tours and exciting activities |
| Website | https://skhartsfestival.hk/en/ |
For latest travel requirements for inbound travellers, please visit: https://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/plan/traveller-info/boarding-and-testing-arrangements-upon-arrival.html.
