Dr. Shirley Yeung is a life artist and winner, Asia Women Leadership Award, 2024Hong Kong-based artist, educator, and researcher who has made significant contributions to the field of CSR, SDG, ESG and art content creation with environmental paint and materials to educate the younger generation.
Hong Kong
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- Certificate in Sustainable Development Goals
- The 1st ESG Pioneer Leadership Award
- Asia World Women Leadership Award Winners
- Collective Memories
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INTERVIEW
Shirley, can you tell us what role art plays in your life and when you first became interested in it?
Art came to my life when I was young at around 15 years old, fascinating by creative package design from different countries, for example pencil cases from Japan and pastry gift box design.
Art with culture and values can be a meanginful tool for storytelling and communication for Responsible Business, helping businesses convey their values and messages to a wider audience.
Art is more than just a form of expression; it is a way of showing your identity in an artistic way to communicate with your inner self and your audience via unique stories, and ideas with vivid use of colors, visual or auditory mediums. As an educator, I believe that art or content creation plays a crucial role in fostering self exploration, creativity, critical thinking, and empathy in students. By engaging with art and culture, materials and technology, we can develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world.
What goals do you pursue through your art? What principles and objectives guide you in the creation of your works?
Sala et. Al (2021) mentioned that “Circular economy (CE) describes a sustainable alternative approach to the current linear economy system”. They also highlighted that “innovation is a crucial aspect for implementing CE business models”. During the the 9th Entrepreneurial Education Meeting that I attended, UNESCO Bangkok, October, 2023, Hangzhou, China, the key takeaways of the meeting are innovations in entrepreneurial education system with disruptions in pedagogy, including partnership and financing entrepreneurial activities of students, and curriculum design with attention to policy-makers and educators to narrow down the global unemployment of young people. Through the creation of my Chinese calligraphy paintings, NFT collections on nature, co-creation, transformations, Art Culture Impact Coalition, and environmental paintings with products to implement “Diversity and Women Empowerment for Cultural Values, Social Inclusion, and Environmental Actions for SDG Acceleration”.
You have presented your work at exhibitions several times. Could you tell us about one of the most significant events in which you participated?
My artistic style is characterized by a blend of traditional Chinese techniques, modern abstract expressionism with the use of arcylic, mold clay, water colors, and introspective contemplation. My paintings often feature subtle color palettes, delicate brushstrokes, and intricate textures, which evoke a sense of serenity, purity, calmness, harmony. My work is deeply rooted in the principles of different cultures with yoga.
One of the most significant events of my exhibition in Anita Chan Lai-ling Gallery, Fringe Club, Hong Kong on my Project “Restore the Nature with Innovations via SDg xESG” (2023), engaged with primary students, parents, teachers and Principal WONG from ELCHK Lutheran School, Hong Kong. I have taught those students how to use environmental paint to draw with Chinese brush and techniques of Chinese strokes. Some of students obtained an award. Exploration of the use of materials, paints, colors, strokes, and Chinese brush make me understand inter-connectedness of all things – SDG#4 quality of education via 3 wellness and 17 partnership with peace, UNPRME i5 (joyful , meaningful, iterative, interactive,engaged) and a mindset of research thinking with practice.
In 2024, you became part of the Young Asian Artist Award (YAA). Could you tell us about this project?
This is the 8th YAA Award of SYART Gallery by Song Yang. I have a chance to meet different artists, industry practitioners, and potential art / culture creators who have their own unique styles for co-learning. The passion and persistence of Song Yang on organizing the award and the gallery make me realize that creative art and culture is a long journey full of opportunities to explore our potentials and abilities.
Art combines with culture, business and technology makes us re-learn and co-learn with happiness, enjoyment and diversity. Business opportunities may also emerge if we know how to create, explore, grow, and glow with resilience.
Please share with our readers how you combine art and personal development. What is your primary focus in this area?
After the UN Civil Society Conference in Kenya, May 9, 2024, we are moving forward to Arts & Culture ImPACT Coalition that launched at the UN Civil Society Conference. As the Chair, International Centre for Environmental Education and Community Development (ICENEDEV) UN Global Compact Member, my primary focus is to explore with accommodation, appreciation and actions for creative art culture / intangible cultural heritage elements for a new perspective.
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With our on-going monthly transformation on SDG x ESG since 2019, it is realised that community education, creative arts and culture, gender equality and decent job creation are needed with policy support on SDG x ESG with technology on monitoring and evaluation activities to determine the impacts.
What project are you currently working on?
As a professor and life artist, self-growth is crucial. I believe influences with acceptance and modifications from one’s own philosophical perspectives make your life flourish. My brand “MoMoć…•”, established since 2023 with circular economy concept and SDGxESGx web 3.0 applied in my eco-environmental T shirts (with my Chinese calligraphy paintings of lotus, egrets, horses…etc.), flow of shrimp jacket and tote bags is a project that I am currently working on with research on helping parents and the community to choose eco-environmental apparel with trendy but cultural elements.
My experimental approach on various techniques, including oil painting, watercolor, Chinese ink painting demonstrates projects need to have technical proficiency and versatility. My ability to implement SDG x ESG x web 3.0 with UNPRME i5 principles allowed me to open my heart to tolerant and extend to cultural diversity.
What advice would you give to aspiring artists, especially women?
To become an inspiring artist characterized by unique blend of traditional and contemporary art / culture creation techniques, we need to demonstrate commitment to serve the community via projects on creative art and culture, appreciation of intangible heritage of UNESCO, application of SDG x ESG x web 3.0 and new knowledge with artistic vision, continually pushing the boundaries of one’s potentials with humble learning and art / life experiences while exploring new themes and mediums for content creations with values to treasure.
- Associate VP, UNESCO Hong Kong Association since 2017 /
- Professor of Practice/ Head, School of Business, Gratia Christian College, UNPRME Advanced Signatory Institute since 2017/
- Chair, Community Education/ Board Member, ICENECDEV UN Global Compact Member since 2014
- Nominee, UN Local Change Maker, 2024
- Asia Ambassador, SDSN-Kenya
- Winner, Transformative Women Brand Leader, Recognised by the Ministry of India