The Natural History Museum of Yeahnahnesia

As part of the George Town Festival, Cultprint, Penang hosts “The Natural History Museum of Yeahnahnesia”, presented by artist duo Yok & Sheryo, curated by Deborah Lim, and realised in collaboration with SPUTNIKFOREST. The museum brings together a collection of rare artefacts, specimens and cultural objects—many exhibited publicly for the first time—offering an introduction to the island nation of Yeahnahnesia. Entrusted to the artists by the island’s guardians, these objects reveal its natural history, rituals and traditions, offering insight into a civilisation shaped by balance, playfulness and unhurried living. 

Visitors are invited to explore the museum’s collections through paintings, sculpture, installation and environmental design, encountering endemic species, ceremonial objects and enduring traditions that reveal the histories, beliefs and material culture of Yeahnahnesia. Through these collections, the museum invites audiences to reflect on the values that have shaped the island for generations—and to imagine what it might mean to embrace the Yeahnahnesian way of life.

About Artist
Yok & Sheryoʼs artwork is symbiotic with their life of travel and adventure.

Their art exists in “Yeahnahnesia,” a fictional tropical island with rich, made-up tales of mythology, deities, philosophies, religion, animals and landscapes and a ton of archaeological treasures yet to be found.

They weave their unique brand of cultural syncretism into irreverent, riotous, mixed-media paintings, muralsand sculptures. Most recently, they have been creating frivolous “temples” and “shrines” that provide humorous commentaries on societyʼs mercurial lifestyles.

Originally from Australia and Singapore, with street art roots, the duo has exhibited and painted in various countries around the world including ArtScience Museum (Singapore), Gare St.Sauveur (France), Baandam Museum (Thailand), Coney Island Art Walls (USA) , Wynwood Walls (USA) curated by Jeffrey Deitch and “Magic City” (Munich, Dresden and Sweden) curated by Carlo McCormick.

The duo have also appeared in various international publications such as Street Art Today II, Outdoor Gallery, Street Art Now, Magic City, Art from the Streets, “(Un)sanctioned” The Art on New York Streets, Street Art International, Kingbrown Magazine, Juxtapoz, Hypebeast and more.

Instagram (Yok) | Instagram (Sheryo) | yokandsheryo.com