Curator Storm Ascher (Left) and artist YoYo Lander at the opening of Yesterday Was Hard at Phillips Los Angeles.
STORM ASCHER: What keeps you returning to portraiture and the human form?
YOYO LANDER: What draws me back to it is an endless curiosity about humanity. Faces and figures have always been like a home base for me, a place I return to instinctively. As I grow more confident in my technique, I also find myself becoming more comfortable with letting go of it, allowing the work to evolve. Lately, I’ve been moving toward abstraction, and it’s proving to be just as challenging — if not more — than the figurative work that shaped my journey.
SA: How did you develop your unique process?
YL: My process developed naturally over time, a fusion of drawing, collage, and my obsession with tie-dye. I’ve always been drawn to watercolor because it demands a certain surrender. You can have a vision of how the colors will blend, but as they dry, they transform into something unexpected. There’s a beauty in releasing control, trusting that the result — whether it's what you intended or a complete surprise — will be even more interesting. It’s freeing to embrace the unpredictability of the medium.
YoYo Lander, NATY, 2023. Yesterday Was Hard.
SA: What’s the very first thing you do when you get to the studio/office?
YL: When I enter the studio, the first thing I do is set a clear timeframe for my work, then I dive in right away. In the past, I would ease into the creative process, but over the years, my practice has become more structured and focused, helping me make the most of my studio hours.
SA: When you’re making a new work or series, who in your life are you most excited to tell about it?
YL: Definitely my mentors and close artist friends. I’m always eager to share my work with them because their honest feedback often reveals perspectives I hadn’t even considered. Their insight helps me see my work in new ways, pushing it in directions I might not have discovered on my own.
Artist YoYo Lander. © Troy Ezequiel.
SA: How do you start?
YL: Most of my series begin with a simple phrase — something I hear or tell myself that lingers in my mind. When I can’t shake it, that’s when I know it’s an idea I need to explore. Sometimes I revisit old concepts that never moved beyond the brainstorming stage. Those ideas often need time to simmer, waiting for the right moment when I’ve grown enough to fully understand them. It’s like I knew there was something there when I first wrote them down, but I couldn’t quite see it yet — they just needed time to reveal themselves.
Curator Storm Ascher. © Next Subject.
SA: How do you know when a work is done?
YL: I know a piece is finished when I’m satisfied with the eyes. They’re usually the last element I work on, and once they capture the feeling I’m after, I know the work is done.
SA: Can you unpack the meaning of the green sweater for us?
YL: In creating this series, I imagined each subject wearing a dark green sweater to symbolize growth amid adversity. The green serves as a visual metaphor, representing resilience and transformation. I wanted the portraits to feel like intimate vignettes, capturing moments of quiet reflection as each subject wrestles with the challenges of yesterday while navigating the uncertainties of tomorrow.
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