*Teen’s Key x chankalun – Neon Tote

Teen’s Key is committed to expressing concern for the future of young women through different artists and media, to build a network of diverse youth-centered and a judgment-free community, so that more young women can re-explore and further establish themselves. Moved by the Teen’s Key’s vision, local female neon artist chankalun created a neon-themed canvas bag for us. With dazzling pink, black and beige colour as the main visual. The design echoes the Teen’s Key Service Hub blueprint, resembling how our outreach team met the girls under neon lights, providing them with a safe and protected environment since then. Also envisioning Hong Kong as a Safe Space where all young women can thrive.

‘New Beginnings’ means everything we encounter can be an unexpected opportunity. Each of our skills are hidden with values beyond our imagination.” chankalun’s persistence in neon production has given this ‘dying’ old Hong Kong art and culture a new lift. “Although there are still a lot of constraints or perceptions in society limiting what a young woman can or cannot do, however, from my personal experience in making neon signs, as long as we keep track on our path, we can always find a new beginning.” Echoing Teen’s Key’s mission, chankalun hopes that young women will find their own key under a protective environment to open a new page just like the symbol printed on the tote bag, to find their ‘New Beginnings’, their light of hope.

About the creator

chankalun, the one and only female neon artist in Hong Kong. chankalun is a visual storyteller who is boundless in her art. Through the ‘The Neon Girl’ project, she learnt a lot from an 80-year-old local neon master in Hong Kong, as well as from neon artists around the world, her persistence and experiences has made her a female neon artist in a male-dominated industry. Her mission is to keep neon alive and alive.