Description

Swire Properties Arts Month 2025 returns in March, celebrating arts and culture through a series of events and programmes. This year, ArtisTree invites world-renowned cross-media artist Sara Shakeel to co-present the "ArtisTree Selects: The Jewel System" exhibition, which will run from March 22 to April 27, 2025, inviting visitors to participate in a dialogue between art and the vast universe at ArtisTree and Two Taikoo Place.

From digital art creation to installation works: the fusion of technology and tradition

Contemporary artist Sara Shakeel is active in the creative media world and is widely recognized for her unique otherworldly vision in creating psychedelic digital art. In this exhibition, Shakeel breaks his creative routine, further exploring his personal fantasies while transforming virtual concepts into physical art installations. Currently based in London, England, Shakeel draws on his rich South Asian cultural background and personal memories to create his own unique visual style, weaving narratives with crystal gemstones that resonate with his vast online followers. The artist will showcase his imaginative creations at ArtisTree, endowing his works with indescribable power to heal the body and mind and inspire people, carefully creating an unparalleled first exhibition in Hong Kong.

Shakeel gathers a wide range of knowledge on astronomical concepts and culture, and presents human curiosity about the universe and galaxies through traditional folk textile techniques, sparking infinite inspiration and leading visitors to explore the mysteries of nature, showing infinite creativity. Shakeel skillfully combines modern technology, historical culture and traditional craftsmanship, and implements her bold and innovative style to create timeless and soul-touching visual art. Shakeel works with a team of 80 people in Pakistan to source more than 3.9 million crystals in a sustainable way. Using complex ancient craft techniques, they hand-sew different mythological stories and reinterpret the solar system.

The gold thread embroidery method used by Shakeel and his team is derived from the craftsmanship of royal dresses. The stitches are fine and compact, the outlines are clear and the layering is strong, making it extremely difficult to produce. Embroidery is a delicate art that requires patience and rigor, and the artist uses this to imagine that the natural forces of the universe are interconnected, just like the crisscrossing of embroidery threads. The art installation combines textiles, crystals and cultural symbols to become a microcosm of cosmic power, reflecting the ancient human instinct to be curious about the universe.

Shakeel’s two works, “The Jewel System” and “Genesis in Jewels”, transcend regional and cultural beliefs and are her interpretation of the core values of embracing natural ecology and inheriting human traditions. The work also promotes the values of mutual respect and building harmony to the public, influencing life with life, and that even seemingly insignificant actions can have far-reaching impacts.

This world-class exhibition is curated by Taikoo Place in partnership with leading Swiss wealth management group Julius Baer and designboom. Taikoo Place has been actively building a vibrant and people-oriented international business district by providing a rich variety of arts and cultural activities and promoting exchanges and cooperation opportunities within and outside the community.

“We are delighted to present this year’s ArtisTree Selects exhibition, which will cleverly combine digital art and traditional craftsmanship to transform the space into an artistic journey of discovery to inspire and connect the community. We will continue to integrate art and culture into daily life through community building and various art programmes, and enhance the working and living experience in Taikoo Place and the surrounding communities,” said Swire Properties General Manager of Taikoo Place, Vince Chung.

Sara Shakeel said: “This is my first time exhibiting in Hong Kong. I am deeply impressed by the public’s embrace of tradition and innovation, which resonates with my use of time-honored craftsmanship and surreal cosmic themes. ArtisTree and Taikoo Place’s vision of building community connections and exchanges through art coincides with my creative ambitions and further expands my creative horizons, so I am looking forward to and am very excited about this collaboration. I am also very grateful to be able to share these ideas with new audiences through the exhibition.”

Mr. Chik Chi-hung, Head of Greater China Markets Hong Kong and Branch President of Julius Baer Hong Kong, said: “Julius Baer has always believed that art has infinite power. It can not only inspire creative inspiration, but also unite people and enrich community culture. As a long-term and sincere partner of the art world, we are honored to work with Swire Properties to bring the artist Sara Shakeel’s forward-thinking works to the public.

The forward-looking “ArtisTree Selects: The Jewel System” exhibition was brought to Hong Kong. Her artistic accomplishment of skillfully combining tradition and innovation coincides with our philosophy in wealth management – inheriting the essence of classics while embracing and creating the future. We are honored to contribute to Hong Kong’s vibrant art world, promote cultural exchange, and bring wonderful art experiences to the public. "

Introduction to Art Installation

“The Jewel System” at ArtisTree features a mesmerizing embroidered planetary map that depicts a vibrant solar system scene. Integrating traditional Pakistani hand-woven textile techniques, each star is exquisitely designed and embellished with crystals, metal crafts and shimmering silk threads, combining artistry and precision, and combined with world myths and folk tales to tell touching stories. The work reflects on humanity's response to nature, inspiring viewers to consider their role on Earth and in the stars.

"Genesis in Jewels" visualizes the primordial moment of the Big Bang - made by layering multiple pieces of fabric, symbolizing the period of chaos and the birth of galaxies. When visitors walk into the work, pieces of fabric dotted with galaxy embroidery and decorated with crystals appear before their eyes, depicting the process of the vast universe from disorder and darkness to harmony. Shakeel translates profound astronomical concepts into personal and concrete emotional experiences, connecting the vastness of space with human creativity. The work highlights the transformative power of a single idea, illustrating how even the tiniest spark can evolve into endless possibilities.

ArtisTree Selects: The Jewel System Lunch Forum Media Partner: designboom

ArtisTree and designboom, the world's first online cultural magazine, co-organized a lunchtime forum at Taikoo Place, inviting artist Sara Shakeel and digital art expert Ms. Wang Yinghan as speakers. The sharing session will explore in depth how artists today use technology and artificial intelligence to create artworks that are transformed into physical objects, and discuss how to use advanced technology to enhance the identity of contemporary artworks. the event will be moderated by designboom editor-in-chief Sofia Lekka Angelopoulou, who is based in paris.

Lunch Forum: Transforming AI and Digital Art into Reality

Event date and time: March 24, 2025 (Monday) | 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Venue: 1/F Lobby, Two Taikoo Place, 979 King's Road, Quarry Bay The event will be conducted in English.
Free public tickets can be registered through the "Taikoo Place App". Seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Download the “Taikoo Place App” to register for free public art tours.