The Lover, The Excess, The Ascetic, and The Fool
2005 / 2022
non-fungible token
360 video loop, 10:00 runtime
Yeo’s video artwork titled The Lover, The Excess, The Ascetic, and The Fool was originally commissioned for Singapore Art Week 2021. The work positions four spectral tree-like figures that appear and disappear in a 360-degree virtual forest, accompanied by a haunting soundscape evoking nostalgic feelings, while seeming to elongate and suspend time. The four characters are formulations of four male archetypes found in Golden Age Malayan cinema. In this way, the artwork brings together the spiritual and speculative, offering imaginations of reincarnation in a sci-fi future, and romantic ideations of lost history.
The Lover
2021
non-fungible token
single-channel video loop, 0:40 runtime
1920 x 1536 pixels
Occurring during a time when rapid urbanisation and urban migration were a source of great anxiety to the local population, Golden Age Malay cinema idealised the way of life of the rural kampong as a site where Malays could truly flourish, denouncing the complicated and possibly even corrupt city life.
In this way, The Lover is composed primarily of a stolid body, dark in colour but quietly shimmering, symbolic of how a stable and unassuming daily life is more important than momentary glimmers of passion.
The Excess
2021
non-fungible token
single-channel video loop, 0:40 runtime
1920 x 1536 pixels
Featuring three rings circling endlessly around a central trunk, The Excess suggests that the pursuit of a lavish life is an eternally mesmerising one. One is at first captivated by the shimmer of the green rings and silver diamond-shaped ornaments floating between and around them. The background sound featuring the peaceful hum of nature further contributes to the ethereal atmosphere of the landscape. Yet, when one listens more intently, one will hear faint, haunting voices of children in the background. The Excess captures not only the externally pristine characteristics of a luxurious life, but also its hollowness and distance from the realities of the wider, more human world.
The Ascetic
2021
non-fungible token
single-channel video loop, 0:40 runtime
1920 x 1536 pixels
Sounds of materials being stretched and tapped, reminiscent of the sounds of work and industry, can be heard in the background. Meanwhile, a tall yet unremarkable plant-like creature appears amid the forest landscape. It turns at an excessively slow pace, imploring audiences to embrace patience as it reveals its different sides and surfaces. The subject and background sound capture the tedious, unglamorous realities of ascetic life—fit only for those who can endure long, restless periods of time and monotonous labour in order to attain enlightenment.
The Fool
2021
non-fungible token
single-channel video loop, 0:40 runtime
1920 x 1536 pixels
Shimmering in fractals but never taking full shape, The Fool is unexpected and most certainly uncaring, at least of the norms that gives order to the banality of decorum. Relishing in paradoxes, the contrarian speaks the truths however inconvenient, even at the cost of conventional wisdom and popular judgment.
The Powerful, The Impudent, The Nasty, The Kind
2005 / 2022
non-fungible token
360 video loop, 10:00 runtime
Yeo’s companion piece to The Lover, The Excess, The Ascetic, and The Fool, The Powerful, The Impudent, The Nasty, The Kind – which forms the acronym “PINK”, a key colour in The Kind– draws once again upon classic Malay cinema archetypes, this time four distinct female tropes from late-1950s – 1960s films. Rooted in real elements found on the Malay Archipelago, including traditional dance and common regional vegetation, the uncanny presence of the four figures, undeniably arboreal yet presenting human qualities, appear within the untouched forest almost like gods or spirits. The effect of the 360-degree video, which forces viewers to search for these figures and then to wait as they take shape, is to restore a form of respect towards nature “reincarnat[ed]” by Yeo through his futuristic, yet fundamentally natural work.
The Powerful
2021
non-fungible token
single-channel video loop, 0:40 runtime
1920 x 1536 pixels
Grand, lush, and regal, The Powerful exudes power and vitality, referencing a long-lived tree on the Malay Archipelago.
The Impudent
2021
non-fungible token
single-channel video loop, 0:40 runtime
1920 x 1536 pixels
The Impudent might seem plain at first glance, but it speaks to the resilience of the common people, who manage to live and flourish regardless of environment, reminding one of the Malay saying, “di mana bumi dipijak, di situ langit dijunjung” – accept unreservedly the norms of the place you find yourself in.
The Nasty
2021
non-fungible token
single-channel video loop, 0:40 runtime
1920 x 1536 pixels
Alluring, seductive, and man-eating, The Nasty as a carnivorous plant harks back to the horror films that were a staple of Golden Age Malay cinema.
The Kind
2021
non-fungible token
single-channel video loop, 0:40 runtime
1920 x 1536 pixels
The Kind blooms brightly and moves gracefully, just as how the archetype of the kind female is often portrayed in cinema as being beautiful both in heart and in appearance.