HOP NGUYEN: DREAMING IN STATIC, CREATING IN SILENCE
Peeking inside the mind of the elusive image-maker behind visuals for Yves Tumor, 604service, and Nofear.
Hop Nguyen’s work feels like a fleeting memory—raw, dreamlike, and impossible to pin down. Their photography and creative direction exist in a space between the surreal and the intimate, often blurring the line between reality and hallucination. Whether crafting visuals for Yves Tumor (@yvestumor), 604service (@604service), or Nofear (@nofear), their approach remains the same: instinct over explanation, mood over clarity.
GATA virtually sat down with Nguyen for an interview, diving into their creative process, influences, and current fixations. Their images aren’t meant to be easily understood. They linger, distort, and invite the viewer to project their own meaning. Lately, their obsession isn’t even with people—it’s with rocks. Splitting them open, uncovering what’s hidden inside. A fitting metaphor, maybe, for an artist who doesn’t chase trends or validation, only the feeling of something real beneath the surface.
GATA: Hi Hop. How’s life? Please introduce yourself to GATA’s readers.
HOP: Hello GATA, I am fine. I was born on February 22—a nice number. I am from Saigon, Vietnam.
GATA: Can you share a bit about your journey into photography and creative direction? What first drew you to these mediums?
HOP: I like images, and moving images. Movies. Right now, I’m in a phase where I watch maybe three to four movies every day. Six months ago, I was smoking a lot of weed, so I couldn’t even finish a movie without falling asleep or looking at my phone. Then I quit. I also have a lot of dreams (and nightmares), which sometimes make me think I’ve stumbled upon some profound idea or imagery upon waking up. Sometimes that’s true, most of the time it’s not. When it is, I write it down and carry it out. Other times, I just feel like a generator, generating. I don’t feel like there was a journey—I was always making media.
GATA: Growing up, what did you envision yourself doing? Did you always see yourself in the creative field?
HOP: Yes, in one way or another. I was always a creative child. And now I am a creative adult.
GATA: Your work has a distinct visual language—how would you describe it in your own words?
HOP: Hmmmm… I usually let the viewers make up their own words. Every observer speaks a different language. I don’t always have definitions for what my work means. The story you think I’m telling is the story I’m telling.
GATA: What’s one conspiracy theory you kinda, maybe, just a little bit believe in?
HOP: There are too many things that could be true… or false…
GATA: You’ve worked with Yves Tumor, 604service, and Nofear—each with a unique but bold visual identity. How did your approach differ for each collaboration, and did working with these artists/brands influence your creative direction in any lasting way?
HOP: These specific brands and artists have one thing in common: they gave me full creative direction with very few to no specifics. 604’s shoot was specifically for their Valentine’s Day release, which explains the sexy soapiness.
GATA: What’s a completely random but strong opinion you have?
HOP: I am seriously starting a mineral rock collection. I’m saving up to buy a lapidary saw to cut them open. They may be more interesting than anything else. Even manmade visual art.
GATA: Are there any dream collaborators or brands you’d love to work with?
HOP: Not specifically.I like working for anyone who appreciates my work enough to pay me for my production. I love working with anyone who is talented.I do love collaborative work, especially when they know how to do something I don’t. Actually—Ceechyna
GATA: What advice would you give to emerging creatives looking to carve out their own path?
HOP: I would advise them to be indifferent toward both praise and criticism.
Interview by Abeer