Mr Tino KWAN Wing-kuen

Mr Tino KWAN Wing-kuen

Founder and Principal Consultant, Tino Kwan Lighting Consultants Limited
Industrial Design graduate

What do you associate with “art”?

Famous paintings in museums? Sculptures at auctions? Antiques in the homes of the wealthy?

Mr Tino Kwan Wing-kuen, a master of lighting design and an Industrial Design graduate of PolyU, will tell you, “Art is life, life is art.” A poster, a song, a movie, a piece of clothing, a decent meal… In Tino’s eyes, they are all beloved forms of art that add colour to his life.

Tino’s affinity with art began in his childhood. “My father had a variety of interests. He would share with me his photography works, and we would select vinyl records together. On weekends, my uncle would take me to the Hong Kong City Hall for Chinese and Western art exhibitions and classical music concerts. We would also stroll along Hollywood Road, which has been known as the Antiques Street.” Tino was influenced from a young age, and his colourful childhood quietly planted the seeds of art within him.

As the years went by, these seeds gradually sprouted and grew. When Tino enrolled in the Hong Kong Polytechnic, his academic journey provided ample nourishment for his budding artistic talents. Art history, life sketching, photography, tie-dyeing, painting… He constantly honed his design skills during his three years at PolyU. “Upon recommendation, I ventured into interior and furniture design after graduation. Later, I joined a lighting design company in the U.S. and worked in Greece for a period of time. I then moved to London, becoming the Director of Lighting Design at Dale Keller & Associates, an international interior design firm.” With clients spanning Europe and the Middle East, his lighting and shadow creations adorned hotels and many other developments in different places. By the end of the 1970s, Tino, who was not yet in his thirties, had already made a name for himself in the international arena.

Armed with his rich overseas experience, Tino went on to establish his own lighting design company in 1979, opening offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo. His works can be admired in deluxe hotels, super yachts, shopping malls, luxury villas and residential developments, and some of his recently completed projects can be found in Regent Hong Kong, Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau, Mumian Beijing Daxing International Airport Hotel, and Raffles Hotel Singapore. Over the past four decades, he has received numerous awards while leading industry associations, teaching at institutions, as well as serving as a judge for various design competitions. In 2020, his dedicated contributions were recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Hong Kong Interior Design Association. Meanwhile, art knows no boundaries, and creativity knows no limits. How could Tino, with his fame and success, ever abandon his quest for exploration?

“Lighting design is the combination of technology and art. In fact, there are many crossovers from art into various aspects of life.” Tino’s passion for cooking and fine dining led him to open a number of meticulously decorated restaurants; with his keen fashion sense, he even designed unique uniforms for his staff. Being a travel enthusiast, he created one-of-a-kind luggage for himself, and the sketches and photographs captured during his journeys are all artwork that he takes great pride in.

Having leaped from the small city of Hong Kong onto the global stage, Tino has continued to expand his creative pursuits beyond lighting design into fashion, drawing, cooking, photography, and more. His thirst for knowledge is boundless, and he dares to break free from constraints, living out the art of life. His artistic journey reminds us that a “fulfilling life” is not confined to a single pursuit. So, what kind of life do you hope to live?

Publishing Date: January 2024