Nelson Hor Ee Herng (born 1998, Penang) is a Malaysian Chinese artist currently practising in Tokyo. Hor graduated with a BA in fine arts from Tama Art University in 2022.
In his college years, Hor explored all kinds of mediums to find the perfect tools to express his voice as an artist. He uses mineral pigments 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. Hor thinks it would be interesting to use this medium as a tool to document issues related to our modern society, such as mental health and discrimination against LGBTQ people. In his graduation piece, Hor decided to use letters, or more specifically, envelopes to represent his voice.
Hor believes that art is uniquely positioned to move people―inspiring people, inciting new questions and provoking curiosity, excitement and outrage. Therefore, he purposely exposes the “personal” contents and allows people to peep at them. Hor sees his work as a mirror that reflects empathy and hopes it could bring new discoveries and connections for both the artist and the audience.
In his college years, Hor explored all kinds of mediums to find the perfect tools to express his voice as an artist. He uses mineral pigments 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. Hor thinks it would be interesting to use this medium as a tool to document issues related to our modern society, such as mental health and discrimination against LGBTQ people. In his graduation piece, Hor decided to use letters, or more specifically, envelopes to represent his voice.
“An envelope is a transportation of words but it’s also very personal and intimate,
it has to be unfolded and peeked into to get the message.”
it has to be unfolded and peeked into to get the message.”
Hor believes that art is uniquely positioned to move people―inspiring people, inciting new questions and provoking curiosity, excitement and outrage. Therefore, he purposely exposes the “personal” contents and allows people to peep at them. Hor sees his work as a mirror that reflects empathy and hopes it could bring new discoveries and connections for both the artist and the audience.
毎日、君に手紙をかいてあげる
A Letter a Day
Red ink on Japanese envelope
22 × 9 cm
2020.10 ~ present