The Third Chapter : Interview with Neryhs Wo (English ver.)
Every artist is guided by something that cannot always be seen, yet quietly gives meaning to everything they create.
In this conversation, Neryhs Wo reflects on a practice shaped by the search for what is most honest within herself. Through the act of listening, confronting uncomfortable truths, and questioning the identities we sometimes choose to inhabit, she explores what it means to create without turning away from who we are. For her, art becomes a space where being seen begins with the courage to truly see oneself.
Beyond every finished work lies a willingness to remain honest. One that allows something deeply personal to reach beyond the self and become a point of connection with another. The Core Message invites readers to encounter that quiet exchange through Neryhs Wo’s own words.
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Q. Thank you for joining us. To begin our conversation, we are curious to know how you define your identity as an artist at this moment and what central theme most occupies your thoughts.
A. It’s been a while. I’ve been taking a break from not creativity, but from the practice of fine art-making for a couple of months now. I guess I have been taking the time I need to process and review the meaning of art to me.
I would say for me, right now, that paying attention to living and not rejecting happenings in life is what I need for going into my next chapter as an artist.
Looking back to the past couple of years, I realised I have been rushing and forcing in different ways. I was led by my ego, and my heart was neither strong nor loud nor clear enough to tame him. Ego is not a bad character trait; it boosts productivity and gives me the rage I need to create. But he’s not the intelligent one. I mistake his rampages as bravery, and restlessness as passion.
But what my art needs is careful listening and honesty.
Now, I am still working on getting back to practising art with this new attitude, so instead of centring around a theme, I am paying more attention to how I am balancing with my ego and true needs. I am flowing more slowly this time.
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i am your karma. pen, colour pencil, ink, acrylic, oil pastel, soft pastel and red tape on paper 8.5 x 13.5 cm each 2026 |
Q. This chapter is titled "The Core Message." If you were to describe the "anchor" or the most fundamental intention that holds your practice together, what would it be?
A. Honest with self.
Even though the theme I work on changes a lot throughout the years of my art practice, it always revolve around the core principle – being honest with myself.
Honesty means sitting with uncomfortable truths. It is a training to face my own loneliness, fears, ego, and wounds, and figure out a way to connect, understand and communicate with them in order to move forward.
When I am truly honest, the work breathes. The audience may not understand every metaphor, but they can sense whether something is real or fabricated, or at least I know. This is my anchor. This is what I always return to.
Q.Is there a specific piece among your works that you feel most clearly embodies this "core message"? We would love to hear the story behind that work and why it holds such a special place in your heart.
A. It would be the work, from______to _____。,which was an interactive installation that exhibited at Spilt Milk held at the 5th Base Gallery in London back in 2018. The installation includes original illustrations, sculptures, audio, and found objects.
It is still the work that I resonate with the deepest so far. Of course, it is not perfect and there is room for technical improvement, but I remember how devoted and dedicated I was in the entire process of development, starting from looking at all the messy and intimate emotions, gathering thoughts, and writing the story, to turning them into different parts and layers and presenting them via different media for the most complete experience. I was in complete honesty with myself and I became the work during the process. I do enjoy this work through and through.
I still remember the thrill, the excitement, and the nervousness when seeing the audience looking at and listening to my work. It’s like watching strangers stare at me naked with a magnifying glass, as the work is so intimately and transparently created. It was all of me at the time.
The responses from the audience were very touching as well. Some came to me with questions about the concept of the work, some came to find me with hugs, but one audience’s reaction was unforgettable. A girl who was in her late twenties, I remember she was the last audience on the last day we were showing, as I was waiting to take down my work. After some time, she came looking for me, she cried, I was shocked, and then she said ‘Thank you for creating such a piece that speaks to me.’ And that has been engraved in my heart since then. The written part of the story was written in three different languages, including English, Cantonese, and Japanese. Different languages represented a different part of me with a specific character and tone. This audience speaks all three of them as well. And she really took her time with my work as she found most of the hidden clues (such as the recorder in the suitcase and the other little things in it), and so she was able to understand the most out of the story.
It was right there and then, I understood the magic of art, of its capability of connecting two strange minds, and how it allows people to understand and feel each other’s inner world and energy in ways that nothing else can replicate.
This work has become one of the greatest motivations for me in this journey of creating art. It taught me the beauty and wholesomeness of being found and understood with art. And how it gives such powerful meaning to the moment.
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you don't need to be loved all the time. watercolour, pen, colour pencil, pencil, soft pastel and red tape on paper 8.5 x 13.5 cm each 2025 |
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so i just sit here pen, pencil, watercolour, colour pencil, marker and red tape on paper 8.5 x 13.5 cm each 2025 |
Q. Artists often find themselves returning to a certain inquiry. What is the persistent question you find yourself asking through your art, regardless of how your style may change?
A. "Am I actually making this because there is an urge to express, or because I just like playing the character of an artist right now?"
Sometimes we want to be someone else. Maybe the character sounds cool and feeds our ego. Maybe being who we actually are, in this moment, feels too harsh, too lame, or too boring. So we run away and try on another identity. I don't think that's inherently wrong—I even believe it can be a stage of healing from trauma, when used correctly. But not in art.
I think art is the truest form of a person's mind. Making art is where we should be completely honest with ourselves. If you cannot be true to yourself, go do something else first. Go be someone else somewhere else. Then come back when you are ready.
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meanings. pencil, pen, colour pencil, ink, solid marker, watercolour, acrylic, oil pastel, soft pastel and red tape on paper 8.5 x 13.5 cm each 2026 |
Q. In an era of rapidly changing trends, how do you maintain your own pace and stay focused on the voice that matters most to you?
A. Be brave, and keep reminding myself to be brave. Being honest and authentic—in any aspect of life, at any time—takes a tremendous amount of courage.
I remind myself that there will always be noise saying otherwise. There will always be opposing opinions coming from a more popular majority or a more powerful, influential community. But being changed by hollow desire is very different from listening to helpful suggestions. I make sure I am clear about that distinction.
Q. During the creative process, is there a specific moment or a sensation of "rightness" that tells you a piece has successfully captured your intended message?
A. I think it comes down to the flow state during the process of making.
When the energy hits that sweet spot—where creativity lands on the perfect balance between rationality and sensibility—the act of making art becomes a magical moment. You no longer feel time passing. In that space, there is no increase in entropy. You become one with everything as if a new form of you is being born.
To me, that is the most precious moment in the process of creating, and the meaning of art.
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let things sink. matcha, marker, pen, pencil, oil pastel and red tape on paper 8.5 x 13.5 cm each 2025 |
Q.As your practice has evolved, how has your core message shifted or become more defined over time?
A. My core message hasn't shifted so much as it has distilled. It has always been about honesty with self. But over time, I have come to understand what that actually means.
Earlier in my practice, I thought honesty was simply about expressing whatever I felt. Being raw and emotional. And that was part of it.
But now, I see that honesty with self is actually a more subtle but conscious practice. It takes time, courage and perseverance to achieve. It requires sitting with uncomfortable truths and figuring out how to connect with them, not just perform them. Honesty means pausing, deeply listening, even taking a break from the making, because what my art truly needs is careful attention, not constant production.
So my core message has become more defined: it is no longer just "expressing yourself." It is be true to yourself, even when no one is watching, even when it is easier to be someone else, even when the ego screams for something louder and shinier; you come back to your true self.
Q. What kind of internal conversation do you hope a viewer has with themselves when they spend time with your work? What is the "echo" you hope stays with them?
A. I hope the viewer asks themselves: Am I being honest with myself right now? When was the last time I let myself be truly seen, without performance or protection? And did I see myself?
In my works, the colour red symbolises a loud, ambitious cry for attention, yet the tape is temporary, removable, and small. I use these conflicting characteristics to represent the core motive of my practice: the delicate contradiction of hoping to be found and understood yet doubting that complete understanding between minds is even possible.
But that contradiction is bound by something essential: honesty with self.
I believe the deepest connection happens not when a viewer perfectly understands my intention, but when my honesty meets theirs. When my raw, imperfect, unfiltered truth invites them to sit with their own. That is the real connection. There is no further explanation needed, just two truthful beings meeting through a piece of art.
Q. Thank you so much for sharing such thoughtful insights with us today. As we conclude our conversation, is there a final thought or a quiet sincerity you would like to share with those who will encounter your work?
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| Neryhs Wo |
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