British artist pays tribute to Hong Kong’s iconic art of neon sign making
Faye Wei Wei, who was named ‘one to watch’ by British Vogue last year, has created an artwork using neon in collaboration with one of the city’s last remaining neon sign masters
British artist Faye Wei Wei has strong ties to Hong Kong.
“It’s where my parents grew up and I have wonderful childhood memories of summers spent here, intertwined with a hazy nostalgia,” says the 25-year-old Londoner, who was named “one to watch” by British Vogue last year.
She also loves Hong Kong’s “breathing neon”, so much so that she used it in her artwork Frail Silver of the Climbing Stars (2019). Her first neon piece, it was created in collaboration with 85-year-old Ah Lung, one of the city’s last remaining neon-sign masters.
Wei Wei, who graduated from the University College London’s Slade School of Fine Art, says her piece is aimed at starting a conversation about preserving heritage and culture in the city.
I wanted to create something that paid respect to the city’s history with neon
“I wanted to create something that paid respect to the city’s history with neon,” she says.