Neon Community
At TNX, we pay tribute to the vibrant culture and artisans behind Hong Kong’s neon heritage. From seasoned masters to emerging creators, this community is the heartbeat of neon artistry and preservation, carrying forward a craft that has shaped the city’s identity for generations.
We honour the stories and expertise of Hong Kong’s neon masters—craftspeople who have devoted their lives to bending glass, mixing gases, and designing signs that defined the city’s nocturnal glow. From the 1950s onward, their luminous creations transformed Hong Kong’s skyline into a radiant tapestry of colour and light. These artisans once produced thousands of handcrafted signs that turned busy streets into open-air galleries, symbolising prosperity, imagination, and urban glamour. Today, TNX celebrates their skills, innovations, and legacy, ensuring that the people behind the neon remain as visible as the signs themselves.
Master Wong Kin Wah
Hong Kong neon master Wong Kin Wah (often affectionately called “Uncle Wah”) is one of the city’s most senior neon tube-bending craftsmen, with over six decades of experience shaping the glowing signs that defined Hong Kong’s nightscape. Beginning as a teenage apprentice in the 1950s, he went on to create many large-scale signs along major streets, becoming a key figure in the golden age of neon in the 1970s and 1980s.
Today, in his eighties, Master Wong is widely recognised as one of the last true neon masters in Hong Kong, admired for his speed, precision, and ability to handle complex Chinese characters in glass. In recent years he has collaborated with his daughter and grandson on exhibitions that blend traditional neon craftsmanship with contemporary art, while also teaching selected students in hopes of passing on this craft to a new generation.
Master Wu Chi Kai
Master Wu is One of the last and veteran neon light sign makers in the city, who has been in the trade for more than 30 years, having first gotten into the business through a summer job when he was just 17, quickly developing a passion for the craft.
As a witness of the drastic changes this city has undergone, Master Wu's passion for neon sign making has never faded, even though the lights of neon signs are becoming dimmer and dimmer. "Neon signs are purely handmade. You can say that it is a process of turning something lifeless into something so full of life with your bare heart and hands, radiating with light." Wu's dedication to the craft and passion for preserving this unique form of art and culture makes him a true master of his craft and an inspiration to future generations of neon sign makers.
Emerging neon artists
As city regulations tightened and digital displays took over, Hong Kong’s neon era faded. Master sign makers retired, workshops closed, and the craft that once defined the city is disappearing. Of the original neon artisans, only a few remain, their expertise and muscle memory holding a fragile cultural tradition.
Today, emerging neon artists are rediscovering the medium—not only as signage, but as a form of contemporary expression. They bend glass into experimental forms, blending traditional techniques with new aesthetics to create works that sit between art and memory, echoing the old streets while imagining the city’s future.
TNX is committed to supporting and nurturing these innovators, connecting them with the knowledge, tools, and mentorship needed to carry neon forward. Through collaboration, exhibitions, and education, this revival bridges past and present, ensuring Hong Kong’s stories continue to glow—one neon tube at a time.
Jive Lau
Jive Lau is a Hong Kong–based neon artist and the founder of the studio Kowloneon. Passionate about neon aesthetics, he is a committed advocate for the craft and its place in Hong Kong’s visual identity. Since establishing his studio in 2019, he has produced neon works and led workshops that introduce the medium to a wider audience. Lau regularly participates in exhibitions and collaborates with concerts, brands, and institutions, using each project as an opportunity to preserve and reinterpret this heritage art form for contemporary viewers.
Jerry Loo
Jerry Loo is a multimedia artist and the grandson of renowned neon master Wong Kin-wah, known for blending traditional neon craftsmanship with contemporary, animation-inspired storytelling. Trained in 2D animation, he has expanded his practice into neon sculpture and immersive installations, often collaborating directly with his grandfather. As a rising artist, Loo is dedicated to honouring his family’s legacy while pushing neon into new narrative and visual forms that speak to today’s audiences.