Yeo Kaa (b. 1989) is one of the leading painters in Southeast Asia, who has made a name for picturing the disturbing and unpleasant in a strikingly contrasting aesthetics of pastels and doll-like figurations. In this seemingly naïve, jovial, and brightly colored world, she has portrayed the macabre and violent, confronted social taboos, and dealt with pain, anguish, and distress. Whether it is the twisted irony, nonchalance, or irreverence of such a take on the unsettling realities of life that make her art arresting, she has nonetheless emerged as a distinct voice among artists of her generation.
In her recent works, however, the artist has significantly deviated from ruminations about the darker side of human nature and society to more uplifting intimations drawn from recent experiences and realizations. This shift, though partly arising from her personal journey during the pandemic, perhaps reflects our collective change in outlook as we reconnect with the outside world after a prolonged period of distancing and isolation from social encounters. As the gradual recovery progresses, we ease our way into normalizing our lives guided by a renewed sense of optimism that naturally surfaces from overcoming the toughest of times.
Yeo Kaa studied Advertising at the College of the Holy Spirit Manila and has won the University of Santo Tomas On-the-Spot Painting Competition and Special Prize of the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence in 2010. She has mounted ten solo shows to date in Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia and Germany. In 2017, she was an artist-in-residence at Sarang Art Space in Jogjakarta, Indonesia and Arteles Creative Center in Haukijärvi, Finland and in 2018 completed a residency in Berlin.