Exhibited:
Arndt Art Agency, Anxious Lustless Pechay, Berlin,
September 14 - October 5, 2018

ABOUT THE WORK

The works of renowned contemporary artist Yeo Kaa are both irreverent in their approach and playful in their execution. Kaa is concerned with expressing her own personal experiences through the medium of her art. While her candy-colored aesthetic exemplifies the two-fold temperament of her generation; one that sees the value of a clear and concise aesthetic, but also understands its ironic and even memetic potential in the real world. Though her works are steeped in her personal circumstances, she still manages to relate them to a variety of universal and social themes and concepts that allow viewers to relate to her pieces on a much more profound and even personal level. This particular piece titled Darling What’s Wrong embodies that very approach. The acrylic on canvas piece features a relatively explicit scene that features a first-person perspective of an individual looking at their pair of trousers which is halfway unfurled at their legs. At the very center of the garment is one of Kaa’s iconic characters lounging about, martini glass in hand. This combination of jarring and absurd elements lends the piece an air of humor. Though the work implies a degree of austerity, Kaa utilizes humor as a way of making the topic not only more approachable, but empowering as well. In an interview with ARNDT Fine Art, when asked about her use of a bright color palette and the fact that she often explores deep and serious subjects, she replied that “Because it looks happy. Just like me, I often exude a happy vibe, however, this can at times be a facade.” (J.D.)