Before the interview with Ni Chenxi Elva, I had already planned not to talk about anything when we first met. In any case, congratulations to her on successfully holding her wedding banquet recently. From a woman’s perspective, marriage is considered one of the most important projects in life, and completing a wedding is like achieving a dream.
“Actually, whether or not the wedding is held doesn’t really matter anymore, because due to the pandemic, it has been postponed to three years later… People who have experienced the pandemic are already accustomed to not easily touching people’s hearts, and they dare not hold high expectations for well-planned events. A life’s ‘masterpiece’ is seen as insignificant, it’s just the way things are. As for Elva’s representative works in her career, she honestly explains that she no longer insists on pursuing them. Instead, she continuously extends her creativity, and that in itself becomes a unique style of representative work.”
Do not sell illusions, sell honesty.
Earlier, an advertising media monitoring company released the total sales of brand content advertisements for the first quarter of this year. Ni Chenxi ranked 4th in the top 10 KOL rankings, surpassing Jiang Tao. In the past, we used “platinum” as the unit to measure the value of a singer; to measure the value of an actor, we used “box office”. In the entertainment industry, who hasn’t dreamed of having a “representative work”? But Elva, who is neither a singer nor an actor, is currently working as an influencer, and her work nature is fragmented. Honestly, it is difficult for her to have a so-called representative work again.
“To be honest, I have also thought about what could leave a deep impression on people. But from a different perspective, what others like about me includes my personality and traits. My representative works are not carried out in physical form, but rather through delicately sharing and extending creations on multiple levels. That is my current goal. In this industry of selling fantasies, discussing authenticity is inherently contradictory and conflicting. In today’s generation, everyone constructs themselves and gets to know others through social media. It is difficult to disguise oneself, and it is undoubtedly hard work. It is even necessary to face my job with a bare-hearted attitude, and only by presenting the true self in the most comfortable way can one be honest. The more honest one is, the more enriching their value becomes. Being open to the public is also a talent.”
Having children is like living a second childhood.
Pablo Picasso once said, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” And Takashi Murakami also draws inspiration from “learning childishness from children.” As a mother of two sons, Ni Chenxi wears glamorous fashion of the season and her smile in front of the camera is cold, but when she switches to a genuine smile from the heart, it is when she talks about the daily matters of her two sons. Whenever she talks about her sons, Elva’s voice, which is already gentle on regular days, turns out to have even more gentleness.
“My eldest son is completely different from me in terms of personality. I am careless and he is cautious; I am not good at math, but he can recite triangles to dodecagons in both English and Chinese. He always fills in all the areas where I am not skilled.” Let’s not talk about the happiness of life with children for now. Just the childhood experiences of a person are enough to shake their entire happiness in life. If it is possible to reset or make up for an imperfect childhood, perhaps having children is one way to do it. Elva’s mother, when she was young, loved dancing. Her skills and talents were enough to make her a professional dancer. Although she had a passion for the art of dance, she lacked confidence, especially in performing. Even giving a speech in front of people was already challenging for her. Later, after getting married and having children, everything on the stage was no longer relevant to her.
“A few years ago, my mom participated in a beauty and talent competition in Canada and won. When I first heard about it, I was both skeptical and surprised. Was it because life in Canada was too dull and she needed some excitement? Or was it because my own experience in beauty pageants influenced her? Either way, she never liked being on stage before, but now she’s willing to show off her performing skills. I still find that transformation amazing. In one way or another, Elva became the catalyst for her mother’s dreams, and it’s truly unexpected how children can inspire us to learn.”
Painted by the native self
Among contemporary artists, especially in Japan, the use of childlike compositions is often employed as a means of self-expression, such as in the works of Yoshitomo Nara. In the documentary “Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara,” a voiceover states, “Because everyone has a sensitive and lonely child living inside them, a child who holds back tears.” Nara’s wide-eyed dolls reflect his own vulnerability and loneliness. Meanwhile, Saiko Roku-Kaku, who was selected as one of the top 10 most popular artists of 2022 by the art sales platform Artsy, encounters her inner child through her free-spirited and vibrant graffiti-style paintings featuring iconic children. When discussing her artwork with Elva, she admits to not having a deep understanding of the art category, but she feels that her current work and goals are like an oil painting.
“The native self is like a canvas, with each endeavor adding a layer of color, always open to different elements happening to oneself.” After undergoing layers of color processing, the essence is not forgotten. Whether you view Elva Ni from magazines, television, YouTube, or Instagram, she is almost flawless from every angle. Elva’s lack of flaws has never brought her criticism from netizens, and she rarely even edits her photos in front of others. When her beauty and kindness come together, even her photos are rarely so well-behaved. Recently, Elva changed her short hair to long, and netizens called her a true goddess with her new image. However, it didn’t awaken her eldest son’s appreciation nerve, and Elva jokingly said that her son hasn’t grasped the concept of beauty yet. But in my opinion, Elva Ni’s beauty is a whole, because her son only sees one kind of perfection, naturally without any details.
Executive Producer: Angus Mok
Photographer: Ricky Lo
Art Direction: Ricky Lo & Mimi Kong
Styling: Mimi Kong assisted by Yoanah Chan
Videographer: Kason Tam & Alvin Kong
Video Edit: Kason Tam & Alvin Kong
Makeup: Janice Lam
Hair: Eas Fu
Interview: Ms. A
Wardrobe: Anteprima, Anteprima Wirebag, Bottega Veneta, Christian Lououtin, Kev Yiu Bridal, Gucci, Simone Rocha (Net-a-Porter), Sportmax, Molly Goddard (JOYCE Boutique)
