50th Anniversary gate mural painting Using art to showcase the character of Shue Yan
One of the main activities to celebrate Shue Yan’s 50th Anniversary – the Gate Mural Painting at the entrance of Lady Lily Shaw Hall, has been completed at the end of March.
The design of the mural painting was created by a famous local mural painter and illustrator, Ms. Zoie LAM. The University wants to use her artwork to showcase the character and special qualities of Shue Yan.
The full mural
According to Zoie, the main features of the mural are buildings and students on campus, and Shue Yan exists in her imaginary planet Zlism. “Zl” is the initial of Zoie Lam, while “lism” stands for her ideas about the nature of human beings. She believes that, though everyone has a different character, their original qualities are “kind” and “positive.”
The original design of the gate mural
Zoie shows students how to paint the gate.
People can find the five university buildings in the mural, including the Library Complex, the Main Building, the Residential & Amenities Complex, the Lower Block and Higher Block of the Research Complex, as well as mountains and valleys of Zlism. They can also find the university shuttle bus with the 50th Anniversary logo, and the mini-bus that members of Shue Yan always take. Students and graduates in the mural appear as residents of Zlism, some of them taking photos on campus. Moreover, there is a student sitting on a chair with a movable writing pad, which is one of the noticeable facilities of Shue Yan.
“Mountains and valleys symbolize that lives are always not easy. When you suffer a setback, be positive and remain steadfast in what you want to do. I hope that the mural can spread the message of ‘you can do it’ and ‘don’t give up,’” Zoie said.
Using vivid colours is Zoie’s signature mural style. This time, she painted a total of 15 in the gate mural. However, fluorescent colours, her other favourites, were not used this time.
Two experience days of mural painting had been organized by the Office of Students Affairs on March 4 and 8. Senior management, academic staff, and students, under the instruction of Zoie, painted on the gates.
Senior management paint the gate.
Dr. HU Fai Chung
Dr. HU Fai Chung (third left), Professor Catherine SUN (second left), and other members of senior management paint the gate.
Upon completing the mural at the end of March, Zoie then held a sharing session on April 9 to talk about her discovery in the art of painting, how to bring art to the community, and how to earn a living from art.Zoie said that in recent years, the government, commercial organizations and social welfare organizations have given more attention on the integration of art and environment and community, thus more working opportunities are available for artists and painters. She encourages students who have talent as painters or illustrators to not give up painting, even if their future careers are not related to art, and try their best to use social media to increase the exposure of their products, and wait for the job opportunities.
