Neon Walls

Allister Lee is a Toronto-based graphic artist who specializes in consultation, branding and the creation of graphic materials. He has worked with top apparel and retail brands, and alongside his commercial practice, he has developed a unique artistic voice, one that blends and remixes elements of commercial design, fine art and quotidian objects into wholly new frameworks. Whether it be constructing a visual database of black markers, producing a Pop Art zine for the much loved Sony Sports Walkman, or documenting the world’s Chinatowns, Lee celebrates and defamiliarizes the familiar in ways that are whimsical while maintaining an air of authenticity and respect for the source materials.

Lee’s ability to incorporate influences and styles in thrilling ways is exemplified by his recent work for Vans’ Shanghai Nanjing East Road Flagship Store. The world's first Vans intelligent retail store, and China’s first flagship Vans store, the Shanghai store features a space, but also hosts custom workshops and events within its three-story immersive environment.

The store is located in one of the world’s largest and busiest shopping streets, Nanjing East Road. With nearly two million visitors per day, the street is a hive of human activity that continues to hum into the night under the buzzing beauty of neon light displays, which are a hallmark of the famed shopping strip.

Taking inspiration from the local culture, skateboarding and the Vans brand itself, Lee designed an animated neon tubing installation that wraps around the terraced building façade over two floors. The neon glowing graphical and textural elements of the display feel right at home in the neighbourhood, but also fully fresh; much like all of Lee’s work.

Photos by Tommy Zhao / P.O.S.T.C.A.R.D