Blood & Stitches

In Yeo Kaa’s Blood and Stitches, her first solo exhibit on view at Secret Fresh Gallery, we encounter a fantastical world with dazzling patterns and bright colors. In this world, a character named “Krinini” conducts highly-graphic sexual and violent activities that seem to be routine. Whether selecting clothes from her ghastly wardrobe for her skinned body to wear or inspecting an awful wound on her torso that reveals her internal organs and part of her rib cage, she is evoked with a naturalness that provokes.

Essentially self-portraits, Kaa’s work stretches the limit of speculative representation to explore notions of sexuality, gender and identity and how these aspects of the self are hostaged to the world with its relentless judgment and expectations. The character’s response to this scrutiny ranges from self-mutilation to apparent murder, a symbolic doing-away with the body.

Dramatizing dark desires and hidden terrors, Kaa, an Advertising graduate from the College of the Holy Spirit and a special prize winner in the Metrobank Art Design and Excellence, evokes them with her technicolor palette, beguiling us with their seeming harmlessness only to jump and latch on us with their arresting, highly-charged imagery.

Blood and Stitches, which also features Kaa’s serials of art toy named Krinini, is a timely exploration of the female identity in the time of selfies and self-exposure.  The designer toy has 40 regular and 10 one-of-a-kind custom-made pieces, which sold out during opening night. Kaa’s paintings were sold out as well. The untiring support from her group of 1616 artists was evident on opening night as a lot of them showed up with the group’s mentor Lynyrd Paras.

Kaa’s designer toy came after the likes of Joy Mallari, Geraldine Javier, Mark Justiniani, Luis Lorenzana, Christian Tamondong, Paras and other artists showcased their works as produced by Secret Fresh Gallery in very limited quantities. These designer toys have become highly collectible here in the country and abroad.

(Secret Fresh Gallery is located at the ground floor of Ronac Art Center, Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills, San Juan City. For inquiries, call 570-9815 local 7 or visit www.facebook.com/secretfresh.)

Ladies’ new best friend

Ladies are about to meet their new best friend in the form of the HSBC Red MasterCard, the card that knows exactly what they need, has their best interest in mind, and gives more than what they ask for. The card was launched at Rustan’s East Café by top executives of HSBC, MasterCard and Rustan’s.

Hosted by real-life BFFs Patti Grandidge and Xandra Rocha, the event saw bank executives present the card, which has some of the best features made especially for women.

The HSBC Red MasterCard is the perfect companion for shopping and pampering, with its zero-percent interest installment plans, four times rewards points, and Red Perks from premium fashion, beauty, and wellness partner merchants. And because it is powered by MasterCard, the card is accepted in more than 210 countries and territories all over the world.

HSBC’s Gigi Pio de Roda said, “By offering the HSBC Red MasterCard, we let women discover what a true friend can do. At the same time, we celebrate women’s beauty, strength and independence, and provide them with the most exciting rewards and privileges.” Long-time Red card holder and endorser Tessa Prieto-Valdes, clad in red from head to toe, joined Pio de Roda in presenting the card’s wonderful features and even spoke of her shopping adventures with the card.

True to the event’s theme of friendship, the bank gave away a friendship bracelet from Tiffany & Co. in a raffle. Guests were also treated to an afternoon of pampering at a custom HSBC lounge at Rustan’s, with sweet delights and tea from TWG as well as treatments from top skincare brands Clarins, Dermalogica and Murad. Finally, guests brought home a travel kit from makeup brand Benefit, which is also the welcome gift for new cardholders.

(Visit www.hsbc.com.ph.)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!  DRIVE SAFELY! (Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)