10 Questions with Neryhs Wo

Neryhs was born in Hong Kong, and she continued her BA (Hons) study in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Arts of the University of Arts London. She graduated with First Class Honours in 2020. She then finished her MA degree in Art in Public Space with distinction at RMIT University in 2024. Neryhs is now an emerging independent artist.

www.neryhswoart.com | @neryhs_wo

ARTIST STATEMENT

Neryhs is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores the contradiction of hoping to be found and understood but doubting the existence of total understanding between minds. She expresses this through various media such as poetry, paintings, illustrations, public installations, and performances. Neryhs sees her art practice as her therapy, and the works are the audience’s story time. She has always been working on her relationship with loneliness, which is an inevitability in life. She believes the deeper we understand ourselves, the more loneliness will become freedom. Neryhs tells stories through her art. They are fragments of her life, and when she comes across an emotion or an idea that she finds it impossible to let slide or to express during a daily conversation, she makes it into art. Art is very similar to love; it is reasonable, beautiful, or even inspiring if understood, but if not, it means nothing. So, she simply presents and lets the audience do the rest. Neryhs considers creating art to be a form of unconditional love she gives to life.

I’d keep you as how you are, Acrylic, poster colour, oil pastel and red tape on canvas, 60 x 60 x 1.5 cm, 2024 © Neryhs Wo

INTERVIEW

How has your upbringing in Hong Kong and your educational journey at Chelsea College of Arts and RMIT University shaped your artistic perspective?

I consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to spend my time submerged in different cultures, as I believe cultureis one of the essential ingredients for inspiring distinctive art.
Hong Kong has an interesting historical background. It is only a tiny dot on the map, but it holds so much diversity of cultures and stories. It is packed with people, noises, skyscrapers. To me, it is a concrete jungle emphasising materialism and efficiency. But in places like Hong Kong breed a certain kind of romance that you cannot find anywhere else. Maybe it is because of how the city is built with such high density and population, the style of Hong Kong's art and literature is always craving for space and freedom in a melancholic tone — for example, the style of famous film director and screenwriter Wong Kar Wai. As much as I enjoy Hong Kong's art, I knew I did not belong to Hong Kong since I was born. Maybe it's my slow pace of walking, as I have always been mistaken for a tourist in Hong Kong. This has set a theme for my art practice, that I am always a traveller, a drifter, and an outsider.
Going to study abroad, and especially the years I spent living in London, has broadened my horizons; I have learnt how free and powerful art can be while studying at Chelsea. It was a time of finding the style and meaning of my art practice by getting inspired and challenged by the surroundings. A good art school is somewhere you feel safe to explore your uniqueness devotedly, not only as an artist but also as a person. Chelsea is a place that provided me with what I needed at the time.
RMIT was my change of scene. After spending 7 years in the UK, I just felt like I needed somewhere with a different weather and a different art scene to simulate and unravel more of me that was yet to be found. At the time, I wanted to explore more attentively in the field of art in public space, and RMIT had one of the best courses for me to do so. It provided me with opportunities to work with other parties and expanded my network. I gained more professional insights about the industry and experiences to help me know how I could connect my art to the world.

What aspects of your studies most influenced your artistic development?

What influenced me the most is the fact of having the time and freedom that allowed me to develop the habit of exploring life, ideas and theories deeply and tirelessly from different angles.

Your practice spans poetry, painting, illustrations, public installations, and performances. How do you decide which medium best suits a particular idea or project?

Most of the ideas of my works appear and get developed in my head as a vision or a voice. Some work is louder, and more colours are involved, and some are quieter and more delicate. By then, I would have a brief concept of what medium holds the best capability to convey and complete the idea.
But of course, some could take a big turn after testing. I made sure I was creating creatively and looking at the idea with a curious and fresh brain throughout the whole process of making any work and not becoming a technician of a fixed idea.

Could you describe your creative process? How do you transform a fleeting idea or emotion into a tangible piece of art?

It's like fishing. Knowing that there are fishes (inspirations, ideas, new interpretations…) in the sea, but you need to wait patiently through the waves, the rain, the storms, and the burn from the sun (the mental blocks, the criticism, the judgement, the realistic dilemmas…) for the fish. It is not just waiting, but a practice for the mind to learn how to endure and enjoy the journey of the wait while being prepared and ready to catch it once it is hooked.

Then there are the ways to cook a fish once you caught them. You need to devise the best method to bring out the unique flavour of a particular fish. You don't want to take away the distinctiveness of the fish by adding overpowering spices, but you also don't want to make the dish blandly to waste the fish. It is about looking for the right method to create the perfect balance of all factors, to let the audience taste what you have in mind.
It is a skill set that takes time and effort to mature, and I do not think there is an end to this ride.

From______to_____。, interactive installation with illustrations, sculptures, audio and found objects, 2018 © Neryhs Wo

Your work often explores loneliness and the complexity of human understanding. What drives your focus on these themes, and how do you hope your audience relates to them?

My motivation to explore these themes stems from my lack of sense of belonging since I was little. I never felt like I belonged anywhere. I have been on a journey of longing for somewhere or something far and beyond for as long as I can remember.
Loneliness is an inevitable and powerful factor in life I believe it is more of a blessing than a curse. Loneliness has been described as a heavy and scary matter but is not what causes us pain and suffering, but rather, the negativity comes from the craving for understanding and the failure to receive what we desire. Building a healthy connection with one's loneliness is key to having a healthy mentality.
If it is something we can't avoid, then why not study and understand it so that we can use it in ways to strengthen our self-awareness? I hope my works can be seen as invitations for the audience to dive deeper into one's mind and explore what is not yet discovered and perspicuous.

You describe art as a form of unconditional love. How does this philosophy influence the way you approach your projects?

My art practice is a belief in creating, presenting and letting go. I am creating from a concept, an emotion, or a piece of memory of mine and presenting through turning them into an artwork. I learn about myself and transform with each word I write, each brush stroke of a painting, each tear from the red tape, each line I read from a performance.
Each of them holds a little bit of me from a specific time. By understanding the philosophy and my belief in creating art, I let go of all of what the piece of art holds when it is completed and be true to the fact that – it is exactly what I can offer to the world at the time.

I promise, Acrylic, Oil pastel and Red tape on canvas, 80 x 80 x 3.5 cm, 2022 © Neryhs Wo

I threatened myself with a plastic knife, Acrylic, Oil pastel and Red tape on canvas, 61 x 61 x 3.5 cm, 2020 © Neryhs Wo

You mentioned that your art is like "story time" for the audience. How do you balance sharing personal narratives with inviting open interpretation?

It is definitely one of the hardest parts of my art practice. It took me years before I was finally able to share such intimate details of my life with the public. It does feel like I am presenting myself fully nude and letting everyone look into every pore of mine. It is still somewhat intimidating each time I exhibit a piece of my work, but there is also the excitement you can't find anywhere else.
I think the key is having a strong belief in one's core value of the practice and the strength to fully understand and accept that 'I am exactly who I am right now, and I am only one soul in the billions.'
Learning how to look at your art, stories, or life from a distance is not only one of the most essential skills for an artist but also the greatest skill for living through life as a person. It allows you to get a slightly better glimpse of where you are in life and live in the present. Once distance yourself and see the bigger scale of life, you will understand the philosophy of "this too shall pass", and you will be fine.

Loneliness, as you suggest, can become a form of freedom through self-understanding. What role does your audience play in this transformation when they engage with your work?

As I mentioned earlier, I hope my works can be seen as invitations that inspire my audiences to join me in the journey of self-exploration.
Everyone has their own stories and lessons in life to learn, but maybe sometimes need a little push or hint to have the courage to look right at it. Through interacting with my works and hopefully getting inspired by my actions, my audiences can become more engaged with their own stories. My works are only a short introduction or a little motivating force for audiences' long journey of self-discovery.

Are there any specific projects or installations you're currently working on that you're excited to share?

I am currently focusing on exploring ideas through painting. I have somewhat drifted away from practising laboriously on painting for the past couple of years and was more engaged in working with mediums like writing and performing. Butpainting has always been a medium that accurately records my changes and growth as an artist. Through specific combinations of colours, curves, lines, and different textures created by different paints, each painting visualises my inner world to the world. I am taking my time to revisit my consciousness via the realm of canvases.
On the other hand, the ongoing public art project, the red tape: grief., has become a ritual in my daily life to celebrate my active love for my beloved lost one. Although it seems like a repetitive act, this project has made a record of my personal journey of grief. I am curious how this project is going to evolve and change with time.

Dears, Writing interactive installation, 2021 © Neryhs Wo

Lastly, looking ahead, how do you see your practice evolving, and are there new themes or media you wish to explore in the future?

I aim to refine my practice by scrutinising the influence of the phenomenon of the sudden or gradual loss of sense of belonging in society, which is caused by different happenings in the world. I will further investigate its effect and long-term impact from different angles. For example, how does losing the sense of belonging transform the collective consciousness? How does it shape the culture of a country, and how will it affect the next generation? What are people doing to cope with the change? I wish to travel and spend time looking into others' experiences and stories in this respect.
I am also excited to work with different organisations and galleries for new projects. I am hoping to expand and upgrade the scales of my works, especially with mediums such as installations and performances. With the help and support of interested parties, I cannot wait to make my ambitious proposals for new installations and live performances happen in the near future.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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