Meet Nervis Wrek | Sculptor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nervis Wrek and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nervis, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I think the answer to this is very simple. I followed the rat race, working dead end jobs and being a “yes man” to the point where I was miserable. Being taken advantage of and not appreciated, fired constantly just became too much. Art was always something that I escaped to.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art has always been very important to me. It’s about the only thing I have total control of and one of the only things I feel I am good at. My sculptures have evolved over the years from when I started. I was introduced to designer art toys around 2005-06 through a shop here in Phoenix long gone, called “Red Hot Robot”. Seeing all the amazing art toys by KidRobot,Toy2R, Qee, Unkl, Strangeco, Muttpop & ESC Toys just blew my mind. I quickly wanted to make my own toys and became completely obsessed with this niche scene. That was the spark that sent me on this trajectory I’m currently on. I started with painting Kidrobot Munnys and then eventually graduated to sculpting and customizing these diy blank Munnys. I searched and searched for my voice within the thousands of artists doing the same. I was always trying to stand out. I was always into sci-fi, aliens, monsters and conspiracy theories. I was always intrigued by the teachings of David Icke and the idea of reptilian shapeshifting lizard people infiltrating our government and extreme ideologies as such. That inspired me and I eventually found my style of the heavily texture skin, crazy toothed creatures with machinery and wires attached to them. That kind of set me apart because everyone at the time was doing pop culture and video game references along with more cute and cuddly stuff. Also, a lot of graffiti & urban style in the designer art toy landscape seemed to be abundant. Meanwhile I was cutting into and sculpting onto these diy platform toys and turning them into crazy aliens and building this whole world at the same time. I would post my work on art toy forums and message boards. One notable place was the KidRobot forum, which was very popular and a breeding ground for up and coming talent. I would send my work to toy blogs, art toy blogs and any urban art blog that would do write ups and get you free promotion. I did a crazy amount of art group shows that in reality were always a loss financially because you buy the figure you work on, buy the material, put in the work, pay for shipping materials & shipping fees and on top of all that, the gallery would take 50% if the piece sold. But it was a nessesary part of the game to be able to be seen. Eventually I got to a point where I was getting good sales and would get invited to shows alongside established artists. Eventually got the opportunity to go to NYCC and have my first solo show out in New Jersey which led to getting one of my characters produced into a vinyl figure. That taught me a lot, one being that business and friendship don’t work. But nonetheless I am grateful for the opportunity although we had a falling out. At the same time I felt my style was getting ripped off and bitten by certain people. Through the years I struggled with reinventing myself and evolving as an artist and progressing. It caused creative block, doubt, self destruction and self sabotaging. I stopped working with other artists and opportunistic shops that prey and make money off artists. That has been one of the hardest things because in doing that, you become lost and disappear from the scene. I don’t do shows anymore and have had issues with shops that somehow are the gatekeepers of a scene that I have been a part of for over 15 years. So with that I consider myself an independent artist that doesn’t participate much in the art toy community but continue to make unique art. I am extremely proud of my work deep down but it’s under a humongous blubbery layer of self doubt, self loathing and insecurity.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ok let’s say I had a best friend, I would defenitely take him to some good food spots. We would hit up La Pozoleria for some amazing food. Then “Unos Taco” for some birria tacos, yum. Taco Boys for some simple good asada tacos. Can’t forget La Purisima for the best pan dulce ever! And their homemade flour tortillas are to die for, and their red chile burritos too! Last food spot I would take my make believe friend would be to the og Carolinas on Mohave.
As far as places, I would defenitely take my fake friend to Sedona of course, that place is my favorite spot in AZ. I love the energy that Sedona gives off. Grand Canyon is another place, Williams would be another stop. Lastly can’t forget Stinkweeds and Zia Records.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First on my list would be my wife for putting up with me, supporting me and holding down this family. My two seeds for keeping me young at heart. My mom for the unconditional love and support. To Benny Kline from Tenacious Toys for alway being real. To all those people that have bought my art throughout the years.

Website: https://nerviswr3k.storenvy.com/

Instagram: @nerviswr3k