ART CENTRAL HONG KONG 2026

Booth B4, SWANFALL GALLERY, will be exhibiting at the Art Central Hong Kong 2026 Art Fair from 24th - 29th March 2026

ENGRAM | VALENCE SHIFT

Perception is not a passive recording of reality. Contemporary neuroscience suggests that what we experience as the world emerges through ongoing processes of memory, prediction, and interpretation. Experiences leave structural traces in the brain  -  known as engrams  -  which can later be reactivated and reorganised when recalled

Memory, therefore, does not simply preserve the past. Each time it is recalled, it may be reshaped through a process of memory reconsolidation, in which previously stored information becomes temporarily labile and may be modified before being stored again.¹ Through this process, the emotional meaning attached to an event can shift  -  a change in affective valence²

In some experiments, researchers have used optogenetic techniques to identify and reactivate specific neuronal ensembles associated with memory in mice. Observations from these studies suggest that, under certain conditions, memories' emotional associations can change when they are retrieved. The structural trace of the memory may remain, while its affective meaning may be reassigned through subsequent experience³

“A memory preserved in structure but altered in affect. Fear rendered neutral. Pleasure rendered flat. Attachment redirected, disgust softened, grief detached from the autonomic response that once gave it force. The event remained. The body no longer obeyed it in the same way.”
-  W, ENGRAM, manuscript fragment

The past remains. Its significance may change. Perception is therefore never fixed. What we see and feel is shaped not only by what lies before us, but by the experiences through which we have learned to interpret the world. In this sense, each person inhabits a slightly different reality. The same event may carry entirely different meanings and emotional weight depending on who encounters it. What we call reality is, to a large extent, an interpretive system shaped by memory, emotion, and knowledge

Within this diversity of perception, understanding and empathy become essential. At its most fundamental level, the human impulse is simple: the desire to be seen, to be recognised, and to know that we are not alone. Empathy is more than merely adopting another person’s perspective. It may begin with acknowledging a possibility: that if we were shaped by the same experiences and circumstances, we might not choose differently

This exhibition begins from that premise. Over six days, our booth unfolds through four units: Space Oddity, After Summer, First Imprint, and Lost in Translation. Each approaches experience from a different angle, presenting alternative ways of perceiving and interpreting the world

At SWANFALL, we recognise the freedom of expression and interpretation as essential to this process. Art does not define reality or provide definitive answers. Instead, it presents possibilities. Through image, narrative, and form, it invites viewers to step outside their own familiar frameworks and encounter other ways of seeing. In this exchange of perspectives, we begin to recognise ourselves in others, discovering shared emotions and experiences across the differences that shape our individual worlds