BUS News

HKBU Business Students Reimagine Economics Through Art

10 Apr, 2025

Capturing the creative minds behind “Out of the Curve”: organising committee members and instructors from the videography, songwriting, photography, and drawing workshops come together. Capturing the creative minds behind “Out of the Curve”: organising committee members and instructors from the videography, songwriting, photography, and drawing workshops come together.

The HKBU School of Business has ventured beyond traditional economic measures with “Out of the Curve”, a collaborative exhibition with the Academy of Visual Arts (AVA)'s Experience Design Studio, which opened on 10th April, 2025. Over 250 business and visual arts students explored values beyond GDP, focusing on aspects of human well-being and sustainability.

This first-of-its-kind collaboration between the two schools featured over 60 works created by business students. These diverse expressions took the form of videos, photographs, songs, drawings, and infographics. Seven interactive installations, designed by AVA students, further enriched the visitor experience, providing tangible engagement with the concepts explored. Themes of happiness, community, social connection, inequalities, and environmental sustainability took center stage, moving beyond traditional economic metrics to highlight the importance of a more balanced and sustained economic growth.

Prior to the exhibition, students participated in workshops that bridged artistic expression and macroeconomic concepts. They explored self-discovery through vlogging, expressed emotions through music, captured economic ideas through photography, and addressed social and environmental concerns through drawing.

The opening ceremony was attended by key figures, including Dr. Albert CHAU, Vice President (Teaching and Learning), Prof. Han ZHANG, Dean of the School of Business, Mr. Ryan MAN, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) of the School of Business, Prof. Henry FOCK, Director of Student Affairs, Dr. Rosa TANG, Deputy Director of Student Affairs, Dr. Kar Lun CHAN, Lecturer I , School of Business, Prof. Siu King NG, Associate Professor, AVA, Ms. Janet FONG, Research Assistant Professor, AVA, and Dr. Stephanie CHEUNG, AVA.

In his remarks, Mr. Ryan MAN challenged the audience to “think out of the curve”,  embracing uncertainty and interdisciplinary tension as drivers of creativity in both art and economics. He urged students to look beyond abstract economic data and connect with the human stories behind the numbers, understanding the real-world impact of economic realities. The exhibition underscored the powerful synergy between artistic expression and economic understanding, offering a fresh and engaging perspective on a traditionally quantitative field.

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