This event marked the inaugural collaboration between London South Bank University (LSBU) and the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH). The exhibition formed part of a project funded by the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, in partnership with the British Council, which seeks to explore climate action and sustainable business through a feminist perspective.

Females and the climate action agenda

Curated by Dr. Mai Khanh Tran (Mika) (LSBU) and Ms. Lien Nguyen (UEH), the exhibition brought together the work of 30 female artist-researchers and young illustrators to explore climate action and sustainable business through the lens of Feminism. This unique exhibition featured compelling installations and creative outcomes of artist-researchers in response to a real-world challenge.

Visitors were also invited to discover highlights from the 8-week training programme, Integrated Contemporary Communications for Sustainable Marketing, which equipped participating artist-researchers with the tools to bridge natural and social sciences in order to encourage more conscious, sustainable lifestyles. Open to the public, the exhibition featured an interactive zone where attendees could contribute their own ideas and reflections on shaping a greener, more ecological future.

Inspiration and symbols

The exhibition documented the journey and presented the final outcomes of the Integrated Contemporary Communications for Sustainable Marketing training course, designed specifically for female academics and practitioners in Vietnam. The course aimed to equip participants with essential knowledge and skills in sustainable marketing communications, and a part of the 2-year project Empowering Change: A Comprehensive Approach to Climate Action, Sustainable Development, and Behaviour Transformation Among Female Academics in Ho Chi Minh City.

LSBU placed particular emphasis on Vietnam, as the country ranks among the five most affected by climate change globally. Despite the wealth of innovations and inventions addressing global warming in Vietnam, many members of the public and consumers perceive technical information and messaging as inaccessible or overly complex, hindering the uptake of sustainable products and practices developed by researchers and businesses.

To position the exhibition as both a training and assessment method, Dr. Mika explained:

“The course is designed with a focus on enhancing transformative sustainability learning, originally proposed by Sipos in 2008, that engages participants’ heads, hearts, and hands in the learning process. For the ‘Head,’ Participants are engaged in case studies and knowledge in sustainable communications and involved in tackling a real-life challenge from a Sustainable business in Vietnam. With ‘Heart,’ participants are embraced to use their feminist approach to examine the issues and explore the solutions, both effectively and affectively. For the ‘Hand,’ Participants will have their firsthand experience in designing campaign and planning for the client, presenting their plan as well as display their work at the exhibition ‘Women and Climate Change’ in 2025.”

Impact and engagement

The exhibition drew a diverse audience in terms of background, gender, and age. Visitors were particularly intrigued by the co-curated format, created collaboratively by the teaching team and course participants.

Ms. Lien Nguyen, co-curator of the exhibition, noted that participants expressed great enthusiasm for the opportunity to take on the role of artist-researchers within the project:

“This dual role allowed them to merge creative expression with academic inquiry, producing works that were both visually compelling and intellectually grounded. Through the art-making process, participants were able to transform research insights into artistic outputs that resonated with diverse audiences, bridging the gap between scholarship and public understanding.”

One of the participating artist-researchers, Vuong Khanh, shared her creative process for developing the art installation, noting:

“We believe that to encourage green consumption, consumers need to be well informed and more mindful about the materials, the production process, and the people behind the products. That’s why we proposed the idea of a Map of Herbs and a pop-up exhibition for the brand. This would allow them to introduce the origin of the raw materials, as well as the effort invested in harvesting and production before the product reaches the end consumer. For sustainable consumption, authenticity and appreciation are key.”

Beyond serving as a research output and training method, the exhibition proved to be a powerful platform for public engagement, bringing together academics, practitioners, businesses, and consumers. It highlighted key case studies from the training course that highlighted the role of feminism in climate action, including the live brief of the Nature Queen brand and case study of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Huong Lien, CEO of Sao Thai Duong Group, and her feminist approach to sustainable production and consumption.

Visitors to the exhibition had the opportunity to view a design made of green material by artisan Le Thi Lan Huong – a standout case study demonstrating how women address climate change through art and tradition. This piece was previously featured at the Green Fashion Exhibition in London in 2024.

To ensure the exhibition was delivered sustainably, the curators partnered with Gloton, a Ho Chi Minh City-based company specialising in sustainable materials, to reuse and recycle items from the event. The pinboards used during the exhibition will be recycled, cleaned, and sanitised before being transformed into toys, which will be donated to children in orphanage villages across Vietnam.

Acknowledgement

This exhibition forms part of the Research Collaboration Grant (ID 1203769377) under the International Science Partnerships Fund. The project was funded by the UK Department for Science Innovation and Technology in partnership with the British Council. For further information, please click here.

The Research team

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