The Jessica Charitable Foundation is proud to partner with The JadeWalkers, a visionary performance art project led by former Hong Kong Olympian Yvette Kong, aligning with our shared mission of empowering women and youth.

On May 11, 2025, in the heart of Venice, a procession of Moko Jumbies, performed by the renowned Brooklyn Jumbies, will weave through the city's ancient streets, their vibrant wearable sculptures shimmering with Hong Kong's textile heritage and Mexican artistry. Leading them is Yvette Kong, embodying the "Female Warrior" with grace and defiance.

This is The JadeWalkers, a groundbreaking performance art project set to premiere at the 19th Venice Biennale, tour globally to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Mexico City, and beyond, and has the potential to become a cultural moment at Hong Kong's 15th National Games in November 2025. More than a performance, it's a movement to redefine Hong Kong's cultural identity, celebrate female empowerment, and catalyze a creative economy. Yvette's journey—from Olympic swimmer to MIT lecturer to artistic director—mirrors the city's evolution, making The JadeWalkers a powerful homage to Hong Kong's resilience, innovation, and pride.

From Olympic Pools to Artistic Stages

Yvette Kong's story is one of transformation, driven by a deep love for Hong Kong and a relentless pursuit of new paths. "I had such pride representing Hong Kong and swimming," she recalls. "I definitely miss that feeling of wearing my swim cap with Hong Kong flag on it. It is a city that I love, and it's very exciting for me to be able to represent Hong Kong again on international stage, but in a different arena." A 2016 Olympian, Yvette competed on the global stage, carrying Hong Kong's flag with honor. But after hanging up her goggles, she dove into new waters: corporate consulting at McKinsey, social impact work in mental health (I.e. founding board at MindHK), and academic pursuits at Tsinghua University and MIT, where she earned an dual MBA Ann now lectures at MIT on art innovation for impact.

Her journey wasn't linear, taking her from athletics to business strategy to teaching. "Every leap is actually very scary," she admits. "It's almost feel like I'm falling but flying at the same time… it's truly a leap of faith." Yvette's path reflects Hong Kong's own adaptability. "Hong Kong is growing. I'm growing with Hong Kong," she says. Her creative spark, nurtured during architecture studios at UC Berkeley, was reignited during her "creative sabbatical" at MIT, where she realized, "I really, really, really enjoy doing it. I want to keep doing it." At MIT, she pioneered the "transversal design methodology, using art to drive social change, which now informs The JadeWalkers through the Transversal Lab.

Transversal Lab (T.Lab), founded by Yvette Kong, headquarters in Hong Kong and is a global art-innovation venture that harnesses the power of Transversal Design to reshape how the world experiences art and impact. By blending critical creativity with market-driven solutions, T.Lab collaborates with artists and communities to prototype bold new futures, driving tangible change at both behavioral and policy levels with a mantra: "Question. Create. Scale."

Yvette's shift to artistry parallels Hong Kong's transition from a textile and financial hub to a creative powerhouse. "Looking at Hong Kong's evolving identity, sometimes I think about myself and my journey: from going from the Olympics and being an athlete to where I am now," she reflects. Her ambition is clear: "I want to see how I can continue to contribute. My role has switched; I have evolved. But my love for Hong Kong is the same." With The JadeWalkers, she channels this love into a project that celebrates Hong Kong's cultural assets and exports its creativity globally.

Wearable History: Bringing Hong Kong's Soul to Life

Conceived for the Venice Biennale's 2025 theme of "future heritage," The JadeWalkers reimagines Hong Kong's textile legacy as a dynamic, living narrative. "Hong Kong started as a fishing port—that's why Hong Kong is 'Hong Kong' (fragrance port in literal translation)," Yvette explains. Fast forward to the mid-20th century, Hong Kong emerged as a textile powerhouse, with factories driving economic growth and shaping its urban landscape. These factories are now being retrofitted or demolished, but their legacy endures. The JadeWalkers transforms Hong Kong's rich cultural history into wearable sculptures, blending architectural motifs—like bamboo scaffolding and breeze-block ventilation—with futuristic textiles and Mexican influences.

The performance features four stilt-walking Moko Jumbies, towering figures rooted in Caribbean Carnival traditions that trace back over 200 years to West African cultural practices brought to the Caribbean by enslaved Africans in the 19th century. Traditionally, Moko Jumbies wear masks and vibrant costumes blending African and European elements, performing jumps and masquerade choreography to bless communities and ward off evil spirits. In The JadeWalkers, the Jumbies are reimagined to evoke Hong Kong's skyline and the resilient Yang Warriors of Chinese folklore, their movements accompanied by live music from four students of the Conservatorio di Musica. Led by Yvette as the Female Warrior, the ensemble embodies Hong Kong's spirit.

"There's a very strong theme of female empowerment," she notes, drawing inspiration from the Yang Warriors and Empress Dugu of the Sui Dynasty, a fierce leader whose "loyalty and her determination to piece China together" resonates deeply with Yvette. The Female Warrior's costume, a blend of armor and regalia, embodies "strength in softness and softness in strength," reflecting Hong Kong's spirit of resilience and grace.

Collaborating with Mexican artist Laura Anderson Barbata and Taiwanese textile designer Tsai-Chun Huang, Yvette crafts a cross-cultural dialogue. The textiles, made of 50% Hong Kong's Gambiered Canton Gauze, 50% Mexican weaves, feature dragon-inspired colors and futuristic pleats. "We were really surprised about how similar that the textiles were—the embroidery, the color," Yvette shares. "It almost doesn't seem like there's a distinction looking from afar—it's all so beautifully coexisting." This fusion symbolizes Hong Kong's East-West identity, a "beautiful remix" of cultures. The Jumbies' headpieces, inspired by bamboo theater and the Bauhinia flower, nod to Hong Kong's architectural heritage, while 3D-printed fencing masks celebrate its Olympic triumphs, reimagined with Chinese opera elements.

Warrior Spirit: Celebrating Women Who Break Boundaries

At its core, The JadeWalkers is about resilience, creativity, and female empowerment. Yvette's personal connection to these themes runs deep. "I feel like we have achieved a lot in gender equity, but there's always still room to improve," she says. Growing up, she faced stereotypes: "I remember being told, as a girl, I should not do sports—that I would look too muscular." She responded with defiance. "Female empowerment for me… is not about showing that we're invincible. It's more about being able to express who we truly are and not trying to fit in someone else's conception of what a girl should be, or do, or look."

As the Female Warrior, Yvette embodies this ethos. "I love every part of it," she says of her costume. "I really like the blend of armor and regalia… carrying both strength and grace and the inclusion of different perspectives." Her message to other women is unequivocal. "There is no ceiling," she says, drawing a parallel to the stilt-clad Jumbies. "Miracles happen to those who believe it." By leading The JadeWalkers, she hopes to inspire others to break barriers, just as she has.

The project also celebrates Hong Kong's resilience, a quality Yvette sees in its athletes and citizens. "We all felt the power of sports," she says, citing the city's triumphs during the 2024 Olympics. The fencing masks, reinvented as cultural symbols, reflect this "grace, resilience and international prowess."

Art on the Move: How The JadeWalkers Are Rewriting the Rules

The JadeWalkers is designed to engage the public, breaking art out of galleries and into the streets. The performance, choreographed with live music from four conservatory students from the Conservatorio di Musica, begins at the Hong Kong Pavilion and moves toward Venice's harbor front, where Yvette will hand out Bauhinia flowers to the audience. This "walking gallery" concept reflects Yvette's mission to make art accessible. "Instead of letting people come to us, how about we engage? We become a walking exhibition," she explains. By reclaiming public spaces, The JadeWalkers fosters emotional resonance and cultural pride.

The project also addresses Hong Kong's cultural landscape, where modernization often overshadows heritage. "Sometimes I can't tell if it's Dubai, Hong Kong or Singapore," Yvette observes of homogenized public spaces. "I think the world would be a lot more interesting if there's more expression." The JadeWalkers strikes a balance, blending modernity with heritage. "How do we keep modernizing and keep advancing, while not forgetting our past and embracing it, but not dwelling in it?" she muses. The sculptures, with their sci-fi aesthetic and traditional elements, embody this harmony.

On the World Stage: The JadeWalkers' Global Takeover

With an expected audience of 285,000 at the Venice Biennale and coverage by 2,500 journalists across 80+ countries, The JadeWalkers will amplify Hong Kong's cultural soft power. Its potential Hong Kong performance at the 15th National Games, a landmark event co-hosted with Guangdong and Macau, could reach millions, amplifying local pride and showcasing Hong Kong's cultural soft power, followed by a world tour and a cinematic film to preserve its legacy.

The project aligns with Hong Kong's push toward a creative economy. "I think we can do better at creating and exporting creativity, especially in this generation of young people," Yvette notes. Her ambition is bold, aiming to strengthen the cultural assets of Hong Kong and catalyze the creative economy of Hong Kong. She envisions The JadeWalkers as a dynamic cultural IP, evolving with each tour stop to reflect Hong Kong's adaptability by incorporating personalized elements that resonate with the local culture of each destination.

Against All Odds: The Making of a Cultural Marvel

Creating The JadeWalkers in just months was no small feat. "We only had a few months to do everything and to budget," Yvette reveals. "Right now the project is self-funded." Weekly meetings with Laura and Tsai-Chun tackled complex challenges, from engineering headpieces for 12-foot-tall Jumbies to reimagining fencing masks. "How do we put a few pounds of headgear onto a 12-foot-tall person who will be jumping around?" she says.

Despite the stakes, Yvette's focus remains unwavering. "Right now, my focus is putting on a good show for Hong Kong, and I don't really think about anything else," she says, drawing on her Olympic training. Her confidence is infectious: "Hong Kong is moving forward: bold, creative and resilient." This core message encapsulates the project's spirit and Yvette's vision for her city.

The Next Chapter: Yvette's New Arena

As The JadeWalkers prepares to debut, Yvette's journey and the project's themes converge in a powerful narrative. "I'm just at the start of it," she says of her artistic path, likening it to her "next Olympic." By blending heritage and innovation, resilience and grace, East and West, The JadeWalkers invites audiences to see Hong Kong in a new light. "No place like Hong Kong has a greater remix of East and West," Yvette asserts. "Hong Kong is living in this kind of juxtaposition that is very poetic and very uniquely Hong Kong."

For Yvette, the project is both personal and universal, a love letter to Hong Kong and a call to action. As The JadeWalkers strides onto the global stage, it carries Hong Kong's stories, resilience, and creativity, proving that, like Yvette, the city is ready to leap into a bolder, more creative future.

Support and Join the Movement

The JadeWalkers is a self-funded cultural rebranding of Hong Kong, made possible through the Jessica Charitable Foundation's S.88 charitable partnership, championing women and youth empowerment.

Support Yvette's vision by donating to her Kickstarter campaign at Kickstarter. Every contribution helps bring this transformative project to life, from Venice to the National Games. Don't miss the chance to witness art that moves and redefines heritage, elevated by the Conservatorio di Musica's live score.

Tickets for the Venice Biennale (May-November 2025) are on sale at La Biennale Di Venezia.

As Laura says, "Ultimately, I hope it inspires viewers to recognize the value of cultural traditions and the creative possibilities that arise when we walk together, even across great distances."

Hong Kong is walking tall. Will you walk with us?