Comix Pulse – Between Calculations: The Comic Worlds of The Year Animals and The Land of Ming Yi by Mimi TSOI
Comix Pulse – Between Calculations: The Comic Worlds of The Year Animals and The Land of Ming Yi by Mimi TSOI
Organisers: Hong Kong Arts Centre (Comix Home Base), Ink Pen Creative Ltd
Exhibition Curation and Production: Ink Pen Creative Ltd
Sponsor: Zhilan Foundation
2024/25 The Arts Talents Internship Matching Programme is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
Date: 15.02.2026– 28.02.2026 (Closed on Lunar New Year's Day, Second Day, and Third Day)
Time: 8:00am-11:00pm
Venue: Comix Home Base, 2/F Hong Kong Arts Centre (2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong)
Free Admission
About the Exhibition
We are pleased to share Mimi Tsoi to be the second featured artist for Comix Pulse!
Between Calculations is a comics and illustration exhibition rooted in the Chinese systems of divination, Yin-Yang, and the Five Elements. Through two sets of works with distinct visual languages and deepening layers of interpretation, the exhibition guides viewers step by step into a continuously evolving worldview.
The exhibition begins with The Year Animals, which transforms the Twelve Earthly Branches into twelve animal characters, each with its own personality and elemental attributes. Integrating the principles of the sexagenary cycle, the Five Elements, and the solar terms, the work evolves as the form of a calendar that can be viewed, read, and even used in everyday life.
Visitors are then led into the more complicated narrative world of The Land of Ming Yi, a story-driven comic in which Yin-Yang and the Five Elements function as the underlying rules of the world. The work depicts a world where order has vanished and system has collapsed, exploring how humans make choices and act in darkness and uncertainty.
Through the artworks and the interactive app, audiences are invited to experience the mysterious process of ‘calculation and inference’, placing themselves within the worldview rather than merely observing it. Blending comics with traditional Chinese philosophy, the exhibition draws inspiration from the I-Ching (易經), Yin-Yang (陰陽), and the Five Elements (五行) to build a richly imaginative narrative world.
In celebration of the Chinese New Year, visitors can also test their fortune for the Year of the Horse through playful interactive activities, adding a festive touch to this creative fusion of comics and divination.
About the comics The Land of Ming Yi
The Land of Ming Yi is themed with various traditional Chinese philosophies, namely I-Ching (易經The Book of Changes), Yin (陰Darkness), Yang (陽Light), Five Elements (五行 An element-systems used to explain the relationships between nature and body) and Ming-Yi (明夷 A concept in I-Ching, referring to the time when darkness befalls and the world becomes chaotic).
Long ago in ancient times, the world was in the hands of two God — the God of Wood and the God of Gold. However, the conflict between the Gods, Yin, Yang, Wood and Gold, has led to the fall of nine suns and the vanish of Gods, leaving the world only humans and sorcerers (巫覡) who inherited the God’s wisdom.
A thousand years later in a worship of Gods, a sorcerer destroys the last Sun, the adventure of a group of teenagers with different personalities thus begins.
About Event
This event is about to introduce the lively settings of the twelve zodiac animals and Five Elements personalities in The Year Animals and the setting of the adventure story The Land of Mingyi.
In an easy and fun way, participants will understand more about the story setting concepts such as the imbalance of Yin and Yang, restriction in the Five Elements system, the relationships between the Earthly Branches, and the theory behind divination in Chinese traditional culture.
Artist Mimi Tsoi is will be sharing a selection of comics to demonstrate the transformation of abstract theories into characters, plots, and visuals. Not to mention the interactive session, that helps participants explore their very own Five Elements attribute, building a personal connection between traditional wisdom and their everyday lives.
This is not a fortune-telling class, but a sharing and experiential session that uses comics as a medium to reimagine approaches to concepts of time, order, and making choices.
Artists Bio
Mimi TSOI
Comic artist, cross-media creator, and founder of Ink Pen Creative Limited.
Graduated with a Master of Science in Multimedia and Entertainment Technology from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, majoring in Game Design. Has a strong interest in the study of Chinese philosophy. Currently serves as an instructor for the Certificate in Digital Comic Design and Production (Senior Secondary Applied Learning) at the School of Professional and Continuing Education, The University of Hong Kong (HKU SPACE).
Founded Ink Pen Creative Limited in 2020. In the same year, initiated The Year Animals project. In 2022, was selected for Hong Kong Comics Support Programme and published the comic The Land of Ming Yi. In 2025, collaborated with Plug Media Services and Novelland to publish the illustrated book Cambridge Space-Time Adventure.
Contact us
Facebook: hkacchb | HongKongArtsCentre
Instagram: @comixhomebase | @hongkongartscentre
About Comix Pulse
We are thrilled to announce that the Hong Kong Arts Centre (Comix Home Base) is now hosting the ‘Comix Pulse – Feel the Heartbeat of Tomorrow’s Comix’ from February to June 2026! Comix Pulse aims to spotlight the unique voices of emerging and existing comic and illustration book artists in Hong Kong. The programme provides a platform for artists to explore storytelling through visual narratives, culminating in a solo exhibition that showcases their creative process and final work. We are excited for all talented comic-illustration-artists in joining us. They will have the opportunity to present a solo exhibition of your works in the 2/F Comix Home Base of the Hong Kong Arts Centre and participate in public engagement activities (e.g., artist talks, workshops, live drawing). This is a fantastic opportunity to demystify your creative process and build meaningful connections between artists and the public.
For more information, visit here
About Hong Kong Arts Centre
Art for Passion, Art for Life, Art for All
Since 1977, the Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) has been a platform for nurturing and supporting artists, and infusing art into everyday life. Its unique arts and educational programmes aim to make the arts accessible for all. The HKAC believes in the transformational power of art for people from all walks of life. Established for more than four decades, the HKAC endeavours to bring arts to the people of Hong Kong by presenting programmes in diverse art disciplines, such as visual arts, performing arts, moving images, media arts, comics, animation, arts education, lecture forum, public art, art festival and community art. With the vision of inspiring creativity in the local and international art community. With a vision of inspiring creativity in the local and international art community, HKAC focuses on four strategic areas: Leading Art Programmes, Nurturing Future Generations, Fostering Exceptional Art Education, Multi-Functional Building for Art - Strategic Location in Wan Chai to create versatile exhibition spaces that accommodate a diversity of art forms and styles.
The HKAC aspires to engage everyone in the community to become an active participant in the arts - as an enthusiast, an artist or a patron. Let’s continue to embrace ‘Art for Passion, Art for Life, Art for All’, and share the inspiration.
Official website: hkac.org.hk | Facebook: Hong Kong Arts Centre | Instagram: @hongkongartscentre
About Comix Home Base
Comics and animation are important local pop culture and artistic creations. Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) has been dedicated to planning and organising diverse and unique activities to promote the arts and culture of comics and animation to the local community and abroad.
Since 2006, HKAC curated Comix Home Base project (CHB), and has been working closely with comics artists, animators, industry practitioners and various government departments to promote local works. Over 800 ani-com-related events are hosted, such as exhibitions, talks, workshops, performances, publications, screenings, public arts, etc.
In recent years, Comix Home Base has continued to proactively orchestrate cross-media collaborations and look for crossovers between comics and different media like public art, movie, dance, intangible cultural heritage, martial arts etc., expanding the creative space for comix. Outside Hong Kong, China, the footprints of Comix Home Base can be found overseas in France, Belgium, Britain, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Japan, Chinese Mainland, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Korea, Russia, Indonesia and Portugal etc. This has facilitated the involvement of numerous Hong Kong comics artists in international collaboration projects. Also, local comics have been successfully published in different foreign versions in European countries and the United States, increasing the international recognition of local comics and animation artists.
Comix Home Base is fully committed to creating a platform for the art of Hong Kong anime and comics to flourish and keep elevating comics that are 'made in Hong Kong' to the global stage with stakeholders.
Official website: www.comixhomebase.com.hk | Facebook: hkacchb | Instagram: @comixhomebase
