6th July 2026 – (Hong Kong) Tai Kwun Contemporary has launched Open the Box 2026: Pleasant Place with Ryan Villamael, transforming JC Contemporary into a growing, visitor‑made landscape from 4th July to 2nd August 2026.
Staged on the first floor of JC Contemporary, the summer programme encourages people of all ages to help construct a suspended canopy of paper leaves, vines and imagined terrains. Through guided workshops, participants assemble individual fragments into an evolving installation that reflects personal interpretations of a “pleasant place”, creating a collective environment shaped by shared memories and experiences.
The project forms part of Filipino artist Ryan Villamael’s ongoing Locus Amoenus series. The Latin term refers to an idyllic haven — a pastoral vision of harmony and refuge. Villamael’s body of work examines history, migration and collective memory, exploring how places are layered with overlapping narratives and invisible connections. Visitors are invited to move through the immersive, forest‑like setting, navigating beneath floating clusters while contributing to its steady expansion.
The co‑creation period runs from 4th to 26th July, operating Tuesday to Friday from 1pm to 7pm and Saturday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm. Admission during these sessions is ticketed at HK$90, which includes a materials pack for one participant. The installation remains open for free public viewing from 4th July to 2nd August, Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 7pm. A closing ceremony will be held on 2nd August from 4pm to 7pm with free admission. The venue is closed on Mondays.
Open the Box is Tai Kwun’s annual initiative exploring new approaches to community engagement and rethinking the traditional gallery model. Rather than presenting finished artworks within a conventional “white cube”, the programme places emphasis on collaborative creation, inviting artists and audiences to share authorship of the space.
Villamael, born in 1987 in Laguna in the Philippines, is internationally recognised for his intricate paper sculptures and installations. Drawing on the traditional Philippine art of papercutting, he employs meticulous craftsmanship to interrogate themes of locality and remembrance. His accolades include the Ateneo Art Award in 2015 for Isles and the Cultural Center of the Philippines Thirteen Artists Award in 2021. He has participated in major international exhibitions such as the Singapore Biennale and the Biwako Biennale, and has shown work at institutions including Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin and Para Site in Hong Kong.