Two of Anthony Yim’s artworks in the exhibition A Dialogue with Nature being held in Hong Kong from Friday through Feb 9, 2024. (PHOTO COURTESY OF SHOUT ART HUB AND GALLERY)

A Hong Kong story of the triumph of will over adversity is unfolding in the year 2024. Dr Anthony Yim, an internationally acclaimed thoracic surgeon, opened his solo exhibition A Dialogue with Nature on Friday at Shout Art Hub and Gallery in the city. 

Yim, 65, is deemed a manifestation of the “Hong Kong spirit” of turning challenges into opportunities. He was known for pioneering the development of minimally invasive thoracic surgery in the early 1990s, and his “keyhole” approach earned him an international reputation as a top surgeon, scientist and teacher. However, his career ended abruptly when Parkinson’s disease took over his body in the mid-2010s. 

Yim, then a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, called Parkinson’s a “blessing in disguise” and pursued his childhood passion for art to appreciate “the finer details of life”. The transition has been graceful — from a first-rate physician, who was educated at Cambridge and Oxford universities, to a “painter of light”, capturing natural light and its diurnal variations. He is now one of Hong Kong’s leading painters, with some of his works on permanent display at the HK Club. 

Anthony Yim speaks at the opening ceremony of his solo exhibition A Dialogue with Nature on Friday. (PHOTO COURTESY OF GRENVILLE CROSS)

“Art is a vehicle to take me on an inner journey to rediscover myself,” said Yim, who believes that developing the innate talent, even though it may have lain dormant for years, gives him a purpose in life. 

Grenville Cross, former director of public prosecutions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said Yim’s struggle against adversity is a remarkable “Hong Kong story”, suggesting, “The way he has triumphed over life’s setbacks is an inspiration to everyone”.

Heaven on Earth, 2023, is one of the major artworks in the exhibition A Dialogue with Nature being held in Hong Kong from Friday through Feb 9, 2024.

The solo exhibition sold 15 paintings on the opening day, with all proceeds going to the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society, an organization that provides support and assistance in the fight against cancer.