Elva Ni interview began with a simple rule I had set for our meeting: do not discuss anything at first, just congratulate her on finally holding the wedding banquet she had to postpone. From a womans point of view, marriage is often one of lifes biggest projects, and completing a wedding can feel like fulfilling a dream.
“Actually, whether we held the banquet or not became less important after the pandemic, because the postponement stretched out to three years,” Elva Ni (倪晨曦) said. People who lived through the pandemic learned not to set their hearts on sweeping plans, and a once monumental life event can take on a quieter tone. On the work front, she said she no longer insists on chasing a single defining masterpiece, and that continuously extending her creative output into a consistent personal style now feels like its own kind of signature achievement.
Elva Ni interview: Selling honesty, not fantasy
Earlier this year, an advertising media monitoring firm published its first quarter rankings for brand content sales, and Elva Ni ranked fourth among the top 10 KOLs, placing her above pop star Keung To. In past eras, a performers value was measured in platinum records, and an actors worth by box office receipts. For someone whose work is not primarily as a singer or actor, but as an influencer, the job is segmented into many smaller projects, which makes producing a single, defining representative work difficult.
“To be honest, I used to think about what would make people remember me, but from another angle people like me for my personality and characteristics. My signature work is not necessarily a single physical object,” she said. “Delicately sharing and branching into more creative layers is my current goal.” In an industry that often sells fantasy, discussing authenticity carries tension. “Everyone now builds themselves on social media and gets to know others that way, so it is harder to fake things. It is demanding, and I have to approach my work with openness. Presenting myself in the way that makes me most comfortable is the only honest option.” The more honest she is, the more value she said she can bring to her audience, and being candid has become a craft in its own right.
Parenting feels like a second childhood
Picasso once said he spent four years painting like Raphael but a lifetime learning to paint like a child. Artist Takashi Murakami has said he draws inspiration from learning childishness from children. As a mother of two, Elva often wears elaborate seasonal fashions for shoots while giving the camera a cool smile, but her face softens into pure joy when she talks about her sons. When she mentions them, her voice becomes even gentler.
“My older son is very different from me. I am careless, he is cautious. I struggle with math, he can recite shapes from triangle to dodecagon in both Chinese and English. He fills in the areas I am not strong in,” she said. A childhood shapes a lifetime of happiness, she added, and having children can be a way to reset or repair an imperfect childhood. Elvas mother loved to dance in her youth and had the skill to be a professional dancer, but low confidence kept her from performing publicly. After marriage and motherhood, the stage seemed closed to her.
“A few years ago my mother entered and won a talent and beauty contest in Canada. When I heard, I was surprised and skeptical. Was it because life in Canada was quiet and she wanted some fun, or did my having entered pageants influence her? Either way, she who never liked being on stage began to show a desire to perform, and that transformation still amazes me.” In some ways Elva said she helped her mother realize a deferred dream, and learning from children can lead to unexpected changes.
Painting from the original self
Many contemporary artists, especially in Japan, use childlike composition to explore the self, as in the work of Yoshitomo Nara. A line in the documentary about Nara says, “Because inside everyone lives a sensitive, lonely child who holds back tears.” Naras big eyed figures reflect an inner fragile loneliness. Artist Rokudenashiko, known for bright graffiti like work, was selected by arts platform Artsy as one of the 10 most popular artists in 2022 for work that reconnects with the inner child. Talking about painting, Elva admitted she is not a scholar of art, but she feels her current work and goals are like an oil painting.
“The original self is like a blank canvas. Each time I try a new project, another layer of color is added, and different elements appear in me,” she said. After many layers of color, she said she has not forgotten her roots. Whether you encounter Elva on a magazine page, television, YouTube or Instagram, she presents almost no flaws. Her unretouched appearance has rarely been the subject of online criticism, and recently she cut her hair short then grew it out again, prompting fans to call the change a true goddess moment. Her older son, she laughed, has not yet developed a taste for that kind of praise. To her, beauty is a whole, and a child sees perfection as a single thing without subtleties.
Executive Producer: Angus Mok
Photographer: Ricky Lo
Art Direction: Ricky Lo and Mimi Kong
Styling: Mimi Kong assisted by Yoanah Chan
Videographer: Kason Tam and Alvin Kong
Video Edit: Kason Tam and Alvin Kong
Makeup: Janice Lam
Hair: Eas Fu
Interview: Ms. A
Wardrobe: Anteprima, Anteprima Wirebag, Bottega Veneta, Christian Louboutin, Kev Yiu Bridal, Gucci, Simone Rocha (Net a Porter), Sportmax, Molly Goddard (JOYCE Boutique)
