Our Artist Alley, featuring Neon Artist Chankalun is Open!
Photos by: Kevin Yan (@kaiwen.photos)
Our first Artist Alley takeover is officially open for viewing! Come view Chankalun’s neon art exhibition, Artist Alley: Chankalun in our Small Business Innovation Hub (115 Bowery). The Hub is open Tue-Thur from 10am-5pm.
Note: The Hub will be closed 10/22-10/24 for construction
About the exhibition
Chankalun (aka: The Neon Girl) is a Hong Kong and Paris-based artist exploring the medium of neon. Her art is based in her passion for neon as a symbol of Hong Kong's identity. Through her commitment to learning and exploring all she can about neon art, Chankalun traveled to learn from neon masters in Paris, Taiwan, and Japan (just to name few). Her neon work has display globally including the Hong Kong Art Basel and the Hong Kong Science Museum.
In this exhibition, you will explore Chankalun's learnings from all over the world including bespoke neon pieces created in these countries. In addition, we are debuting is her permanent piece for Welcome to Chinatown. Artist Alley: Chankalun will be up on display through the end of December 2024.
Learn more about Chankalun here.
Snapshots from our opening reception
Earlier this month, we celebrated the opening of Chankalun’s exhibition during the Chinatown Solidarity Conference.
Photos by Kevin Yan (@kaiwen.photos)
NYC x Hong Kong Artist Exchange with Carnaby Fair
Chankalun is a participant of Welcome to Chinatown’s NYC x Hong Kong Artist Exchange with Carnaby Fair, a cutting-edge art and design organization based in Hong Kong. Since its founding in 2019, Carnaby Fair has collaborated with over 200+ Hong Kong artists to craft bold, impactful activations that capture the spirit of today's generation. Together, we aim to create transformative cultural experiences through art exhibitions, innovative design concepts, branding initiatives, exclusive collectibles, and more.
Since the beginning of Manhattan’s Chinatown in the 1870s, our community has maintained deep roots in the Cantonese-speaking regions of China and Hong Kong. Through its food, language, and customs, Chinatown has always been a vibrant reflection of Hong Kong within New York City. With the waves of immigration starting in the 1970s, new elements of modern Hong Kong culture have also found a home here – from neon signs to renowned chefs – infusing Chinatown with the lively spirit of Hong Kong.
Hosted by Welcome to Chinatown and Carnaby Fair, the NYC X Hong Kong Artist Exchange is designed to strengthen the bond between these two places through our shared cultural heritage. Connected by the Cantonese diaspora, we see this collaboration as a kind of homecoming. For those of us who grew up in Manhattan’s Chinatown, it’s a celebration of our unique version of Hong Kong. And for Hong Kongers, it’s an opportunity to see the global impact of their culture. Chinatown is not just a resource for immigrants but a beacon of culture for anyone who has grown up influenced by Chinese and East Asian traditions.
In the first part of this exchange, we’re currently hosting Chankalun, a Hong Kong-based neon artist that focuses on preserving and processing the art-making of neon, to NYC. Inspired by the strong neon identity of Hong Kong she has traveled around the world to study the art and science and neon.
In the following chapter, Welcome to Chinatown will send an artist deeply influenced by Chinatown's culture to Hong Kong with the goal to showcase what makes Manhattan’s Chinatown unique to the Hong Kong community. Is it our grit? Our street style? We want to share the distinct characteristics that define our neighborhood and its cultural impact. Stay tuned for our exciting plans for 2025.
