On February 8, Qube Gallery presented ‘Familiar Echoes,’ which showcased the diverse stories of Cebuana artists through photographs and paintings.
Each piece, I can pinpoint where maybe this broke my heart, or someone died here, or I had a spiritual awakening, so that’s why I used these colors.
Jewelle Yeung
Artist
Among these paintings was Jewelle Yeung’s ‘Same Place, Different Time,” a favorite of art patrons at the exhibit opening.
‘Same Place, Different Time’ (2023) by Jewelle Yeung
Cebu-based artist Jewelle Yeung has never been to space, but she is an astronaut.
Yeung started painting the piece five years ago but took a break as she was pregnant with her firstborn, Jasper. While cleaning her studio last year, which had become a “storage room of baby stuff,” she found the unfinished piece and decided to make it a snapshot of her life as a mother.
“I ended up putting the astronaut in because the astronaut signified me and where I was. You don’t know where you’re going; you’re a bit lost in space; you’re also on your own because you’re in this new environment.” Yeung said.
She added that motherhood is not really scary all the time, but feeling like a lost astronaut, especially early on, is something that all mothers can relate to.
Yeung stands beside her masterpiece
As an abstract artist, Yeung’s pieces are “energetic interpretations” of human emotions and experiences. She uses paintings to remember important events in her own life, both good and bad.
“Each piece, I can pinpoint where maybe this broke my heart, or someone died here, or I had a spiritual awakening, so that’s why I used these colors,” she said.
This raw emotion can also be seen in Yeung’s ‘Vertigo,’ also featured on Qube Gallery’s ‘Familiar Echoes’ show on February 8.
Vertigo (2024) by Jewelle Yeung
“Last year, I had a few challenges. I just felt like [I was] in a tornado,” she said.
Yeung took a five-year break from painting when she became a mother but resumed doing commissions in 2023. Her work is regularly featured in art shows like those by Qube Gallery. She admits that she felt scared for her career during the five years, but has since felt grateful that everything worked out in the end.
“If you need to take a break, do it. I was guilty about it, and I just don’t feel like I needed to be,” she added.
She describes her family as her constant source of support, helping her grow as a person, not just as an artist. Her piece, Chaos and Butterflies (2024), also featured at Qube Gallery, pays tribute to the sweet, happy, and really stressful days with her two young boys.
Chaos and Butterflies (2024) by Jewelle Yeung
“There’s a bit of darkness there, a little lightness,” Yeung said.
Her artwork will be featured at this year’s Art Fair Philippines at the Link Ayala Center, Makati, available for viewing on February 15.
RELATED STORIES:
A glimpse behind Golda King’s alluring masterpiece ‘The Greatest Salesman in the World’