“What’s stopping you is yourself and your thoughts.” This is a statement that feels like the key to Money Wang’s universe. He is an artist, a designer, a jeweller, but above all, an experimenter—an alchemist whose primary pigment is unadulterated joy. “I never visualised myself doing anything else,” the artist revealed.
There’s a nonchalance to him that isn’t careless but comes from a deep-seated confidence. It is the mark of an artist not bound by rigidity, yet understands the rules of survival so well to play the game with grace. A work by Wang that remains vivid is when he turned online comments meant to dim his spark into a lamp—a literal source of light. The act of monetising malice reflects his core belief. He is not fighting the darkness, but rather, he shines light and moves on, unburdened by yesterday’s noise.
The path to becoming an artist transits naturally from the shared Malaysian childhood of batik making and sand art stickers to scaled-up polymer clay sculptures that decorated stores or the pages of magazines. A voracious learner and a craver of skills, the artist also picked up crafts like glassblowing and 3D printing with ceramics. He lamented the fading crafts, recalling the local artisan who cut a complex butterfly-shaped mirror for his work without breaking a sweat. We now lack new people who want to take the baton on these crafts. The creative industry, he worried aloud, is losing its hands-on magic.
STYLIST’S OWN, Tie
TALENT’S OWN, Hoodie
He speaks of his discipline with a wry laugh, calling himself “erratic”, often with sudden bursts of ideas. While he admits that self-discipline is crucial for the creatives, he reframes the commotions not as a flaw, but as his method. “The chaos in my life is a form of discipline,” he declared, suggesting that his permanent state of flux is, perhaps, his most consistent practice.
Once looking inward for inspiration, he now finds it in the external world. “Money Wang” lies not in the final result but in the process—it’s imprinted through the very act of making. “When a piece of work passes through me, it carries my identity,” he stated. Nothing is fixed for him; he pivots mid-creation, adapts, and embraces the happy accidents. This is an artist who lives firmly in the present, with no old works he wishes to redo, and this very forward motion is his art.
This colourful journey is not all rainbows, yet he found the balance between his artistic yearning and real-life problems. The reality is that artists have bills to pay too, to which he confessed that for a handsome pay, he could compromise—but only if their values aligned. To him, both his artwork and people are replaceable, not to devalue, but because “everything can be better”. His unwavering confidence—in his capacity to improve and adapt—banishes the worry of ageing out or fading from favour. As an artist, he is also outspoken about the practicalities, from logistics to the need for transparency and communication within the local scene. The ubiquity of social media has welcomed an influx of younger artists, and these discussions—to demystify processes, share experiences, and talk openly about the market—are very much needed.
Being bright and young is never defined by age, but by energy. As he looks to the future, he moves with the certainty that “if there’s no downs, there’s no ups”. In the end, Money Wang’s world is one where light is forged from darkness, and discipline is found in unpredictability; the only constant is his optimism.
Photography: Sarah Hobbs
Styling & Creative Direction: Joseph Cheng
Art Direction: Nadia Aswardy
Hair: VV Chan, Zac Lee, Philex Chin, Cody Chua
Makeup: Eranthe Loo, Crystal Fong (Plika Makeup)
Styling Assistants: Sarah Chong, Lorraine Chai, Maryssa Helmi
Photography Assistants: Ayiesha Almas, Brandan Simon
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