By Jimmy Chow

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Hong Kong sculptor and community artist May Yeung centres her practice on recycled objects, cultural heritage and cross-cultural exchange.
Her work includes public sculptures as well as collaborative projects with children, patients and disadvantaged groups.
This socially driven approach has earned her a place as a finalist in this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards in the culture category.
She studied political science and visual arts at the University of Chicago from 2008 to 2012 under Professor Geof Oppenheimer, where she developed an understanding of art as a form of dialogue.
That idea deepened when she represented students from the UN Academic Impact – a global initiative that encourages higher education institutions to support United Nations goals – at conferences in Australia and New York in 2010.
“I was exposed to questions about sustainability and cultural responsibility. It confirmed to me that my practice, whether in art or charity, should connect with society,” she recalled.
After returning to Hong Kong in 2015, Yeung devoted herself to sculpture and public art.
“I see art as something taken from society and returned to society,” she said.

She frequently works with recycled materials and community participation. One of her proudest programmes was “Mizu Community Art”, in which grass-roots children interviewed elderly Tanka people and turned their oral histories into artworks.
“Some of the elders were in their nineties, telling stories of fishing life that no longer exists. The children created art from seashells and crates, connecting generations through creativity.”
Cultural exchange has also marked her career. For several years, Yeung took part in the French May Arts Festival, creating art that fuses Chinese and French themes.
In one performance project, she combined Chinese blue and white porcelain imagery with French fleur-de-lis motifs and brought together French dancers, Hong Kong artists and American musicians at PMQ in Central.
“We performed in a public space where passers-by could stop and watch. People in that district had never seen anything like it before. That is the power of art in the streets,” she said.

Yeung’s work with the French May Arts Festival eventually inspired her to exhibit “Silence in Full Bloom” at the Carrousel du Louvre in France.
Heritage preservation is a core theme across Yeung’s work. She created installations linked to Central Market, working with students to collage 100 years of Hong Kong history.
Through her charity, Art of MY Family, Yeung serves four main groups: underprivileged children, cancer patients, individuals isolated during the pandemic and those with physical and mental disabilities.
For example, she has organised workshops for cancer patients and inclusive sessions for deaf and wheelchair users.
Recently, Yeung showed students from the Lutheran School of the Deaf how to experience music through touch and visual cues, working with them to create an interactive installation for both deaf and able-bodied audiences.
“Art should be for everyone,” she said. “Any age, any ability can take part. That is why I always design projects that are accessible and meaningful.”
Her journey as a cancer survivor also influenced her life perspective. She now embraces the Japanese aesthetic of “Wabi-sabi” – finding beauty in imperfection.
“What matters is authenticity, and the chance to keep creating. Imperfections are a part of beauty.”
For Yeung, being named a finalist in the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards is encouragement to keep blending art, heritage and community.
“I want to inspire coming generations to see that art is about people, their stories and caring for our communities.”
The annual Spirit of Hong Kong Awards is co-organised by the South China Morning Post and Sino Group to recognise the efforts of the city’s unsung heroes who contribute to the community or inspire others with stories of how they overcome personal challenges.