Art for Change Prize: Meet the Winner for Asia

As part of a shared mission in making art, culture, and creativity accessible to everyone, this prize will stimulate dialogue around visual arts as a medium for positive global and social change and give exposure to emerging artists worldwide. 

Our six winners from around the world were decided by some of the best business and creative minds from the M&C Saatchi Group globally and eminent guest judges. In this Art for Change series, we hear from our winners for 2022. Find out what inspires them artistically, what equality means to them, and what’s coming up next. 

The Art for Change Prize will return in Spring 2023.

Introducing Sharon Cheung from Hong Kong. Learn more about Sharon’s work here.

Artist Sharon Cheung with her winning entry, ‘Our Time’ series, at London’s Saatchi Gallery. Image credit: Tom Shaw

1. Describe your artistic practice in 3 words.

Sharon> Passionate, true and persistent.

2. What excites you most about the Art for Change Prize?

Sharon> Can art change the world? It is a topic almost all art students come across in school and there is a lot of debate about it. I was excited to enter this competition because I know I can use this opportunity to let the world hear me. 

3. You have been selected as the winner for Asia. Tell us about your winning artworks and the relationship to this year’s theme ‘Equality’.

Sharon> I started my art journey three years ago. Around that time the whole world was suffering from the pandemic. Hong Kong not only suffered from the pandemic, but we also experienced a huge social and political change. My winning series, ‘Our Time’, reflects the feelings of my friends who are from all walks of life in Hong Kong and my own feelings over the drastic change in our home. 

Hong Kong people believe in the ‘Lion Rock’ spirit, it is commonly understood as a “can do” spirit. But ‘Lion Rock’ is not just about money, it is also a spirit to strive for a just and equal society.

4. Can you tell us more about where you are from and how this affects your work?

Sharon> I was born and raised in Hong Kong and the recent changes in Hong Kong have filled me with a lot of emotion and tension. I want to record these changes and the emotions of my friends and myself.

5. Where do you find your inspiration?

Sharon> Hong Kong.

6. Do you believe art has the power to change the world?

Sharon> I don’t believe art has this power, but I do believe art is a powerful tool to record. 

7. If you could be compared to one artist from art history, who would it be?

Sharon> Zhang Xiaogang.

8. What’s next?

Sharon> Keep practising and I really hope to bring the world’s attention to Hong Kong art and Hong Kong artists.