Purposeful Creativity: The Role of Culture in Advancing Sustainability

Timothy Wong is a British-born, Hong Kong-based programme director and manager with more than 13 years of experience at major institutions including the British Council, Hong Kong Arts Festival and London Symphony Orchestra. He has led programmes focused on building international
partnerships and collaboration through the arts and is passionate about the need to build sustainability into our everyday life and culture.

2025 Sustainability Goals

• I hope to see much greater public awareness and mainstream conversations on air quality and how air pollution has a seriously detrimental effect on our health.
• I believe that although there have been important strides made to promote recycling, in Hong Kong we still live in a society where landfill waste (and in particular plastic waste) is not taken seriously; I hope that serious action can be taken to combat this.

May Yeung is an internationally acclaimed interdisciplinary sculptor whose work explores the relationships between humans, art, and nature. Her work has been exhibited across the world, including the USA, Portugal, Germany, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen. Through her charity, Art of MY Family, May creates art that emphasises the importance of conserving the natural environment and cultural heritage for future generations, often using natural elements instead of traditional materials to create her sculptures and installations.

May’s commitment to raising environmental awareness is best exemplified by her work for the Mother Nature and the Next Generation Programme in 2023 – 2024, where she worked with ecologists at the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Gardens to research local plant specimens for the programme’s educational workshops for kids. Workshop participants also created sustainability-themed art that went on to feature at the programme’s art exhibition at The Rotunda, Exchange Square.

To help preserve and promote Hong Kong heritage, May created the art series “Mizu”. Created out of used seashells from restaurants, “Mizu” pays tribute to the stories and experiences of the fishermen who witnessed Hong Kong’s monumental change – and subsequently of their own lives and trade – throughout the mid-1900s to the present day. “Mizu” was exhibited at Tai Kwun in 2020.

Other notable art created by May include “Soul of Hoi” for the Tourism Commission’s Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival, which is an interdisciplinary piece that combines sculpture, dance, and music to highlight the Hakka traditions and flora of High Island in Hong Kong. May will also be showcasing her latest art piece at the Louvre later this year, named “Silence in Full Bloom”; an impressionist work that immerses its viewer in nature’s silent, soothing beauty. This showcase will make her the first Hong Kong artist born in the 1980s to exhibit at the Louvre.

May’s contributions to art and society have earned her numerous awards, including the Top 10 Outstanding Young Artists Award (2019), The Loop HK 30 under 30 Award (2019), the Hong Kong Professional Elite Ladies Selection Award (2020), the Youth Dream Makers Award (2021), the Golden Bauhinia Women Entrepreneur – Art and Culture Achievement Award (2024), and the Hong Kong Culture and Creativity Industries Award (2024).

My Sustainability Goals for 2025 

As a sculptor and the founder of Art of MY Family, May is passionately dedicated to fostering a deeper connection between people and nature through her artistic creations. Guided by the Dutch principle of “form follows function,” her work seamlessly blends functionality with artistic expression, prioritising simplicity, usability, and accessibility while maintaining an innovative aesthetic. Her Musical Compass Collection has proudly been showcased at the Art Expo Lisbon in Portugal and the Discovery Art Fair Frankfurt in Germany.

In harmony with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, May strives to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable (UNSDG 11). She is also committed to ensuring equitable access to quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all (UNSDG 4). Through Art of MY Family, May provides green arts education to underprivileged communities, the sick, and those with disabilities. She is excited to see how her work can inspire a greater appreciation for the natural world.

Louis Kwok Lit Yu, MH

Louis Yu is the Director of the Hong Kong Culture and Sustainability Centre. He is also the convenor of the first Hong Kong Culture and Sustainability Conference which will happen in November 2025.

He is the Adjunct Associate Professor of the Culture and Religious Studies Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the adjunct professor of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and the Jian Han University of Wuhan. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

His first book “How to Culture a City” won the Hong Kong Publishing Biennial Award in 2023. His second book “Towards a Cultural City” was published in April 2024. Since 2021, He has given more than 140 lectures on “How to Culture a City”.

His previous roles include the Director of the Hong Kong Art School, Executive Director, Performing Arts of the West Kowloon Cultural District, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Arts Centre.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025

To launch the first Culture and Sustainability Conference in Hong Kong