Arndt Art Agency

2018 Yeo Kaa

Yeo Kaa, "Dry and Confused 2" (2018), acrylic on canvas, 152 × 122 cm

YEO KAA

ANXIOUS LUSTLESS PECHAY

SOLO PRESENTATION

14.09. - 05.10.2018

Opening: Friday 14 September, 6 - 8 pm

Arndt Art Agency, Berlin

Arndt Art Agency, is pleased to announce the first solo presentation of work by Philippine-based artist Yeo Kaa in Europe in September 2018, presented with the kind support of the Embassy of the Philippines, Berlin in September 2018 following her A3 PROJECTS SUMMER RESIDENCY.

Yeo Kaa takes a turn in her explorations of the monsters that torment the human psyche and plays on disruptions to bodily craving for pleasure in her latest solo show. The works confront female loss of sexual drive due to stress and anxiety through metaphors and references to the body.

The word “pechay” in the title refers to Chinese cabbage, one of the euphemisms for female genitalia in her local slang, and is described in a state when it ceases to respond to self-pleasure. Images of sex toys, underwear, and a girl in nude seemingly in distress nonchalantly open up discussions on desire and sexuality. In this instance of loss of lust, the works indirectly become the artist’s outlet, a purging akin to an orgasmic experience that restores the body and mind’s natural vitality and responsiveness of the senses.

Known for her eye-candy colors and figuration style reminiscent of cartoons and animations, Yeo Kaa is a young Filipino artist whose themes and subjects in her work contrast sharply from the pop vibe evoked by her imagery. A graduate of Advertising from the College of the Holy Spirit in Manila, she has exhibited widely in the Philippines and has participated in international residencies, in Jogjakarta, Indonesia, and Haukijarvi, Finland. She is particularly interested in dark themes such as depression, suicide, and anxiety, among others, both drawn from personal experiences as well as general observations of human tendencies.

This presentation is curated by Ruel Caasi in collaboration with The Working Animals Art Projects.

About the artist

Born in 1989, Palawan, the Philippines, Yeo Kaa lives and works in Manila. Her selected solo exhibitions include “Sorry Sorry Sorry - Art Fair Philippines”, Arndt Fine Art, Manila, Philippines (2018), “Alone but Not Lonely”, Yavuz Gallery, Singapore, Singapore (2018), “For My Mother”, Blanc Gallery, Katipunan, Philippines (2018), “Distressful Satisfaction”, Office for Contemporary Art, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2017), “2:55AM”, Secret Fresh, Manila, Philippines (2016) and “Okay”, Artinformal, Mandaluyong, Philippines (2015).

Her work has been included in the following recent group exhibitions: “Got Paper?”, Ruci Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia (2018), “Origins – Art Cube Gallery”, Manila, Philippines (2018), “Terra Incognita”, Hilger BROT Kunsthalle, Vienna, Austria (2017), “CHAINTEETHTENSION IV”, Secret Fresh Gallery, Manila, Philippines (2017), Yavuz Gallery at Art Basel, Hong Kong (2017), “SELF”, Secret Fresh Gallery at Art Fair Philippines (2017), “The Extension of Medium”, Nunu Fine Art, Taipei, Taiwan (2016), “CHAINTEETHTENSION III”, Secret Fresh Gallery, Manila, Philippines (2016), “Colorum”, Vargas Museum, Manila, Philippines (2016), “Phosphenes”, Secret Fresh, Manila, Philippines (2016), “Blank”, Secret Fresh, Manila, Philippines (2015) and “You Are Here”, Vinyl on Vinyl, Manila, Philippines (2015). Her latest residency in 2017 was at the Office for Contemporary Art, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.