Nelson Hor Ee Herng (born 1998, Penang) is a Malaysian Chinese artist currently practising in Tokyo. Hor graduated with a BA in Japanese painting from Tama Art University in 2022.
Hor mainly uses mineral pigments in his paintings and believes they are like a primal link between humanity and nature as the ancient people used mineral pigments to paint murals to convey messages and record incidents of the time. Therefore, Hor sees them as a unique tool to document issues related to our modern society, such as mental illness and discrimination against LGBTQ people.
Hor also takes inspiration from the idea of contemporary sculpture to experiment with unconventional sculptural materials and art forms and to use figurative and abstract metaphors to examine social issues. Therefore, in recent exhibitions, Hor extended his story from a single canvas to an entire exhibition space, and depending on the concept and series, he uses embroidery, ceramics, video and sound to create installations that allow the audience to immerse themselves more deeply into the subject that he wants to convey.
Hor believes that art is uniquely positioned to move and inspire people while provoking curiosity, reflection, excitement and outrage. Therefore, in his practice, he intentionally exposes personal experiences and memories as a way of inviting viewers into emotional and psychological engagement. He sees the red lines in his paintings as mirrors of empathy, creating connection and new understanding between himself and the audience, much like the symbolic red threads of fate.
Hor mainly uses mineral pigments in his paintings and believes they are like a primal link between humanity and nature as the ancient people used mineral pigments to paint murals to convey messages and record incidents of the time. Therefore, Hor sees them as a unique tool to document issues related to our modern society, such as mental illness and discrimination against LGBTQ people.
Hor also takes inspiration from the idea of contemporary sculpture to experiment with unconventional sculptural materials and art forms and to use figurative and abstract metaphors to examine social issues. Therefore, in recent exhibitions, Hor extended his story from a single canvas to an entire exhibition space, and depending on the concept and series, he uses embroidery, ceramics, video and sound to create installations that allow the audience to immerse themselves more deeply into the subject that he wants to convey.
Hor believes that art is uniquely positioned to move and inspire people while provoking curiosity, reflection, excitement and outrage. Therefore, in his practice, he intentionally exposes personal experiences and memories as a way of inviting viewers into emotional and psychological engagement. He sees the red lines in his paintings as mirrors of empathy, creating connection and new understanding between himself and the audience, much like the symbolic red threads of fate.
