origami artist celebrates 25th anniversary of establishment of Hong Kong

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a 29-year-old origami artist is holding an exhibition in Admiralty with artworks inspired by the city's path to prosperity.

The Central Western District Office invited artist Kade Chan to hold the exhibit, titled Celebrating Peace Prosperity in Hong Kong through paper folding at Pacific Place.

Chan said he began his fascination with origami at the age of 12 when he saw a folding dragon made by a Japanese origami master. He has turned his hobby into art since then.

The theme of these origami artworks is from our homeland, Hong Kong, including the wild bull, turtle, fiddler crab and salt water crocodile Pui Pui Chan said.

These origami can represent Hong Kong because all of these artworks start from a piece of paper. They become an art after different folding methods are used. Just like Hong Kong, it faced different challenges in the past 25 years when it returned to the motherland. He said that we have a brilliant situation now.

He said that the Phoenix means rebirth from nirvana like Hong Kong, going through years of challenges, and then afterwards it can be reborn into a new era.

Chan pointed out that one of his artworks, The Phoenix, means ''rebirth from nirvana', representing Hong Kong going through years of challenges and then being reborn into a new era. Chan used a special painting technique to make the origami appear more lifelike. Painting the edges increased the sense of three-dimensionality and layering, while making the origami look not like paper but like a sculpture.

Chan said he not only focuses on folding the paper, but he also does research before starting work. He usually requires two to three weeks of study before he can start a new origami project, while making the artwork can involve several hours of folding.

Origami artist Kade Chan introduces his artwork to a visitor and says the theme of origami is inspired by Hong Kong. PHOTO HKSAR GOVERNMENT The most challenging part is how to make the artwork from a piece of paper. There are many overlapping parts that will become thicker and more difficult to fold. He said that 70 percent of the time is spent for preparation work, and the rest 30 percent for making the piece.

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Residents can visit the exhibit on Level 1 of the Pacific Place until July 10 to appreciate these works of art.