chankalun
experimental neon female artist from Hong Kong
TEDx speaker | Prestige 40 Under 40 | SCMP Women Of Our Time 2022
design-preneur | HKCRAFTS charity co-founder | educator
Chankalun is a Hong Kong–born, Paris-based neon and interdisciplinary artist whose practice explores the intersections of traditional neon craftsmanship, sustainability, and contemporary cultural narratives.
Trained in set design, exhibition curation and multimedia at Wimbledon College of Art and Parsons School of Design, her unique practice merges neon with unconventional materials to create immersive installations that challenge the boundaries between art, design, and environmental consciousness. She is recognised by National Geographic as an “art-vocate” for her commitment to reviving neon as both an artistic medium and culture.
Her work redefines neon beyond its commercial past, merging it with unconventional materials to create immersive installations that address pressing social and environmental concerns.
Since 2018, Chankalun’s work has been exhibited internationally, including at Art Basel Hong Kong (with UBS and La Prairie), Milan Design Week, M+ Museum, cultural institutions and events in New York, Paris, Oxford, Brussels and Pattaya.
Beyond private commissions, her practice is structured around three ongoing collections:
– “Silhouette” explores identity, celebrates body positivity and self-acceptance,
– “Sustainability” reflects on natural elements, invisible forces and the concept of “imperfect perfectionism” of Expressionism in Chinese calligraphy. It also rethinks materials, waste, and ecological responsibility,
– “Blue and White” bridges Eastern and Western craftsmanship through the fusion of porcelain and neon—two handmade, delicate materials with contemporary motifs.
Through her initiative “The Neon Girl“, she trained in neon workshops across multiple countries, culminating in a CAP en enseigne lumineuse at Lycée Dorian in Paris. This milestone both deepened her technical mastery and fueled her advocacy for neon preservation in Hong Kong.
As an educator, she teaches participatory art and design at Parsons Paris, and leads workshops at M+ Museum, POUSH, and cultural institutions worldwide, demystifying neon as a craft and empowering communities to engage with it.
By combining resilience, experimentation, and cultural storytelling, Chankalun illuminates how a fragile medium like neon can remain a bridge between past and future, tradition and reinvention.
Exhibitions and Festivals:
2025 The Slime Knows, Brassiere Atlas, Brussels (BE)
2025 SOIL Wilder Community Exhibition, Braziers Park, Oxford (UK)
2025 Collect Hong Kong 2025, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong
2025 Worlds Aglow, LIC-A Art Space, New York (US)
2024 The Neon Girl, Artist Alley, Welcome to Chinatown Hub, New York (US)
2024 Neon Zen Garden, M+ Children’s Summer Camp, M+ Museum, Hong Kong
2024 Empreinte du Passage, Le Tzara, Paris (FR)
2024 Design to Move, Technogym Milano, Milan (IT)
2024 Dawn of Lion Rock and Evening Sun on Lion Rock, Art Basel UBS Art Studio and UBS One Lounge, Hong Kong
2023 Unlocking Empowerment: Breaking the TABOO, British Consulate of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
2023 Material Tales – The Life of Things, Hong Kong Science Museum, Hong Kong
2023 Light as Air, Tai Kwun Parade Ground, Art Basel La Prairie Lounge and La Prairie House, Hong Kong
2022 How Did We Get Here?, Galerie D., Paris (FR)
2022 I AM Becoming, Sheung Shan Club, Hong Kong
2021 The ExtraOrdinary Exhibition, Soho House, Hong Kong
2020 Glow Green, Kerry Centre, Hong Kong
2019 Haiijaii Project, Wonderfruit Festival, Pattaya (TH)
2018 My Light, My Hood, KONG Art Space, Hong Kong
2018 My Light, My Hood, Tai Kwun, Hong Kong
Artist-in-Residences:
2025 L’AiR Arts, Atelier 11, Paris (FR) – upcoming
2024 Welcome to Chinatown, New York (US)
2022 Vogue Singapore, Hong Kong (HK)
Awards and shortlists:
2025 Shortlisted (Final pre-selection), Amsterdam Light Festival Edition #15 (2026-2027), Amsterdam (NL) – results pending
2025 Preselected, INVITATION #2, Visual Arts Residency, Conseil Départemental de la Mayenne, Mayenne (FR) – results pending
2025 Finalist, Residency – Ferme Familiale Courbet (Pôle Courbet, Département du Doubs), Flagey (FR)
2024 Preselected, Jardin d’Étretat Artist Residence, Ètretat (FR)
2023 Entertainment Light Design – Outdoor Light Art Installation, Conceptual Lighting Installation, LIT Design Awards (CH)
2021 Visual & Graphics Design Bronze Winner, Sky Design Award (JP)
2021 Design Trust Grant, Design Trust
Symposiums and Talks:
2025 “(Not so) Soft“, Creative Mornings Paris, Paris (FR)
2025 “The Persistent Glow: The Conservation and Continuity of Neon Artworks“, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago (US)
2024 “Today at Apple ‘Creative Futures’ series: Explorations in Neon with Chankalun“, Apple Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
2024 “Artist Talk: Chankalun”, UBS One Lounge at Art Basel Hong Kong, Hong Kong
2023 “Conversation with the Outliers: Female Gaze on the Future of Hong Kong Neon, Movie, Music and Food Industry”, Soho House Hong Kong, Hong Kong
2023 “Art Design in a Sustainable City”, UBS Collector’s Lounge at Art Basel Hong Kong, Hong Kong
2023 “Neon and Sustainability”, Arup East Asia Design School, Hong Kong
2022 “Cultural Legacy in Modern Cities: Heritage in Hong Kong”, WLAB Inclusive Cities Summit, Hong Kong
2022 “Reinventing Craftsmanship“, Women Of Our Time 2022, SCMP Events
2021 “Neon Art Holds Hong Kong’s Tradition, And Lights Our Future“, TEDxTinHauWomen, Hong Kong
Publication:
2025 Collected Light Vol. 2: Women Light Artists, Light Collective, London (UK)
Column Writing:
2024 How Neon Artist Chankalun Shapes Light, Prestige
Documentary:
2023 “Voices: The Art-vocates“, National Geographic Asia
2023 “Invitation au Voyage“, Arte France (FR)
2023 “700萬種生活“, Mill Milk
Podcasts:
“Art Basel Hong Kong Special“, Monocole
“Hong Kong neon artist Chankalun on bending the rules“, HKFP Yum Cha
“Neon artist Chankalun on the neon society’s secret code, circular art, and her upcoming work for Art Basel 2023“, The Last Supper
“The Power of Hong Kong’s Neon, Apprenticeship & Pushing Boundaries with Artist Karen Chan“, Mondo Neon
As seen on:
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Asia One
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Hashtag Legend
Headingtonian 2022
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Hong Kong Tourism Board
Jessica
La Presse
Le Petit Journal
Lifestyle Asia – 27 Questions
Lifestyle Asia
L’obs
L’officiel Malaysia
Madame Figaro Hong Kong
Madame Figaro Hong Kong – Featured Interview
Marie Claire Hong Kong – Inspiring Women
Mixmag Asia
Nikkei Asia
Prestige
Prestige – 40 Under 40
RADII
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She Bends
Sing Tao Daily
SOGOOD
South China Morning Post
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Sunday Report
Taipei Times
Tatler Asia – Front and Female
Tatler Asia
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Time Out Bangkok
The Nation Thailand
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Vogue Hong Kong
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Vogue Singapore
Voice of History
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Young Post
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The Neon Girl 