#exihibitions

Anxious Lustless Pechay

Filipino artist 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 exhibition. 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 works’ themes and subjects 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.