"I am an expressive artist and mental health advocate based in South Africa. Painting for me is more than just a way to make money. My business journey started off as a therapy suggested by my psychologist. She asked me to attend a few art classes after my third major depression episode.
Since then it evolved into much more! Yes, I still use it as an outlet, but I have embraced the healing it provides and that even though I live with mental illness, I am still empowered.
Welcome to my corner where I showcase my bold, impressionist works of art and where I share bits of my mental health journey too. Every bit of paint I spread on canvas is guaranteed to represent every fibre of my being! Step into your light"
Through the public account of her journey as a woman, wife, mother, and artist - Yvette highlights the human condition that is present in all of us - diagnosis or no diagnosis.
Yvette has always sought to enrich her life with experiences beyond academia. She is passionate about imparting the wisdom she has gained through life's lessons to those around her, through project-focused events and active policy development. Yvette believes in tackling sensitive topics that would influence the development of young people. She aims to be instrumental in creating 'waves of momentum' that would further generate relevant changes and improvements in our society in many areas, including youth development.
"Yvette is not afraid of pushing boundaries and uses her experiences to inspire and motivate her art on a personal level. She translates the struggles of her everyday life into masterpieces of art that create a space for others on the outside, to see her deepest struggles." - Jonelle du Pont
"Artworks that deal with this struggle of feminine roles also appear in [the rest of] Yvette's solo...They are characterized by a shock of colours, metallic hues reminiscent of bold nail polish and lipstick - an undoubtedly feminine statement. The metaphor of 'statement' is also enlarged by the new approach to inclusion of text in one work and as installation directly onto the gallery wall. Yvette Hess' work emerges at a time when patriarchal structures are being challenged like never before."
By way of autobiographical content Yvette Hess' work is a reflection on the realities of contemporary womanhood. We are allowed to imagine what womanhood hopes for, what it might hope for on the other side of the murky, dark depths of patriarchy's expanse."
- On the other side of deep waters - the paintings of Yvette Hess, Scott Eric Williams