Natalie Wong: Neon Rap Portraits

Mixed Media artist Natalie Wong has released her latest artwork, a riveting series of 12 individual portraits of famous rappers made from electroluminescent wire on fluorescent acrylic.

Reimagining each portrait in neon form incorporates Wong’s immediate environment, Hong Kong. “I wanted to pay tribute to the neon signs of Hong Kong, which are an inherent part of the city’s visual heritage,” she says. “Neon signs are an integral part of the urbanized personality of a city and they have this inherent ability to draw the human eye.”

Wong’s latest work is inspired by the contour drawings from artists such as Egon Shiele and Picasso. Using the traditional drawing technique known as continuous line drawing, where a drawing is produced without lifting the drawing instrument from the page, Wong combines both technique and subject matter. The freestyle drawing of each portrait mirrors the way in which rappers freestyle lyrics; both lines and words are constructed instantaneously.