Yvette Hess

I am a South African woman artist and writer. Sometimes I see myself as an Outsider artist, because of the daily challenge life can be due to mental health struggles I have. Sometimes my mind can be a prism. a kaleidoscope of wonder and simple, beautiful things move me to paint. Other times, I am imprisoned by only my thoughts - a true hell. I still paint and draw through. I realized recently that this is my nature, very sensitive to every move, every sound, every change- which is life. I've been bumping into it and my past work shows this. A lot of trauma and yearning and seeking - and gaining insight through every piece. My work, my writing, my way of seeing the world in different mediums, is the journey. I see themes around grief and loss, identity, womanhood, transcendence and belonging. I see work about displacement, deep fear, shock but also engrained resilience, a trained Overcoming observant spirit. My art journey was reignited during a psychiatric hospitalization in 2015 and yet, it has taken years to accept my identity as an artist. I foresee a shift in my work as my perspective on my role as an artist, not only woman. (or even woman of colour), has changed. Some collectors love my ink works more than my realistic oil pai...

Ruth Prowse School of Art - Cape Town, South Africa - First Year Fine Art (left due to illness)

2018 Solo exhibition - Artreach residency - Association for Visual Arts South Africa Gallery - AVA gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
2019 #thatswhatshesaid Women's group exhibition with Jill Trappler, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg
2019 Not Another Collective group exhibition (founder, co-organizer and participant)- Gallery Momo, Cape Town
2019 Not another Collective group exhibition (founder, co-organizer and participant)- #ThincAfrica international hotel conference - Westin Hotel, Cape Town.
2020 Margins Group Women's exhibition, Eclectica Contemporary gallery, Cape Town
2020 Out of the Cube Lockdown Freedom Day online exhibition
2021 Still-life February competition exhibition, Johan van Heerden Gallery, Pretoria
2021 Violent Femmes, group women's show, curated by Laurette de Jager, Artb gallery, Bellville, Cape Town, South Africa featuring artists like Jo Roets.
2021 Vuleka art competition (National art competition since 1963) - Runner up - Top 70 ('End of Days' oil painting).