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In her first solo show, Threading Through Time, Winna Go pays tribute to her ancestry

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Winna Go 

Anna Rosete

<div><br/></div><p>“<em>Threading Through Time</em>, the solo showcase of Winna Go, is the artist’s tender attempt to reclaim the precious bits and pieces of self that, in the absence of conscious effort to preserve, may erode and become obsolete. What the artist threads through time are the delicate, luminous strands that connect her all the way to her ancestors who braved the waters and called these islands home.Stitched into their resolve were their many stories and symbols of an enduring civilization, which these works at once express and extol: emblems of identity that can be worn with pride and dignity, like the robe of an emperor,” curator Carlomar Arcangel Daoana writes on artist, Winna Go’s current exhibition at the <a href="https://www.artcubephilippines.com/" target="_blank">Art Cube Gallery</a>.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/75c336d9-084b-4d43-ad20-46adef9646f6_winna go 9.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Winna Go with Perpetuities「天龍」, a painting she created for Threading Through Time at The Art Cube Gallery, where she also shows archival material from her studies in Taiwan.<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"><em> Courtesy of Art Cube Gallery  </em></span></span></span></span></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/culture/art-theatre/xavier-art-fest-2022/32618" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">This Year&#x27;s Xavier Art Fest Puts the Spotlight on the Mind, Body, and Heart</a></div><div><br/></div><p>In this show, Go depicts an interpretation of her Chinese heritage through robes that portray various objects that are pregnant with Middle Earth iconography and symbolism: delicate chrysanthemums, fabled dragons and the fanciful Qilin.  In these works, the artist displays careful, even obsessive attention to detail with brush strokes that are steady, precise and intentional.  Painted in soft hues, these robes render a lightness of hand, quietly telling the state of contemporary affairs as Go sees it. A closer inspection of her paintings betray these stately robes, allowing the viewer to witness that she renders them in a state of deterioration.  As their threads cut loose and fray, Go’s robes are relics of their former glory, tributes to a past that was once glorious, and now diluted via contemporary influences.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/56190994-db23-4e3a-a3c0-a8b2e4f466f7_winna go 4.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">(L) The Yellow Emperor「應龍」and (R) The Red Empress「鳳凰」by Winna Go.<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"><em> Courtesy of Art Cube Gallery  </em></span></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>“I take inspiration from the history of the Chinese diaspora, the richness of Chinese and Filipino culture, contemporary issues, my identity and position in society,” the artist tells <strong>Metro.Style</strong>.</p><div><br/></div><p>Not to be mistaken as merely decorative pieces for their pretty and stylized qualities, Go uses her medium as a means to explore her identity as a Chinese-Filipino.</p><div><br/></div><div class="article-content" itemProp="articleBody"><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/b3d38fc2-0859-4967-bc93-50d096bee100_winna go_landscape.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/a824d2c9-3a0d-484e-b3bd-1d53a9cf6693_winna go 3.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/a92d4803-4e44-4bae-8ab5-9d1fa92ef900_winna go 2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/aebf0ef3-aef5-4d47-9366-d50a57cecbb8_winna go 4.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/59f64df7-a065-43b1-8c05-87b666e2c504_winna go 6.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/424fc46e-f7f4-4637-b949-58d9231f28b4_winna go 13.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/0fa8d05e-0b85-4bc7-83a9-99886c546e64_winna go 10.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/34e7fb33-67a6-4427-8742-30392f3bda7f_winna go 7.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/fa3a9e32-a82c-41d4-9ef3-51872fea33b3_winna go 5.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/52e25ac4-6cca-452c-a4c3-c7b0d2977072_winna go 12.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Transmigration「蝴蝶」 by Winna Go - 72x60 inchesOil on Canvas<cite>Courtesy of Art Cube Gallery</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Equipoise「麒麟」by Winna Go - 72x60 inchesOil on Canvas<cite>Courtesy of Art Cube Gallery</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>(L) The Yellow Emperor「應龍」and (R) The Red Empress「鳳凰」by Winna Go. - 72x60 inchesOil on Canvas<cite>Courtesy of Art Cube Gallery</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Fortitude「地龍」by Winna Go - 72x60 inchesOil on Canvas<cite>Courtesy of Winna Go</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Equatorial - 30x24x4 inchesAcrylic on Paper Folding<cite>Courtesy of Art Cube Gallery</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>&#x27;Threading Through Time&#x27; by WInna Go<cite>Courtesy of Art Cube Gallery</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Installation, &#x27;Threading Through Time&#x27; by Winna Go<cite>Courtesy of Art Cube Gallery</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Installation, &#x27;Threading Through Time&#x27; by Winna Go<cite>Courtesy of Art Cube Gallery</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>&#x27;Threading Through Time&#x27; by Winna Go<cite>Courtesy of Art Cube Gallery</cite></p></div></div></div></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/living/home-tours/more-is-merrier/22595" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">More Is Merrier</a></div><div><br/></div><p>“Through art, I was able to learn more about the history of my identity and displacement of my ancestors. Aside from this, I also had a new found appreciation for my Chinese-Filipino heritage. When I was in college, I underwent a form of identity crisis because all my life I was surrounded by fellow <em>Chinoys</em>. It was the first time (back in college) when I was treated differently because of my Chinese heritage. My <em>Chinoy </em>friends, who I grew up with, also experienced the same dilemma. This is the inspiration behind my award-winning piece for Philippine Art Awards entitled “Embroidered Thoughts”. I also pursued this phenomena as my research topic for my Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis. It was through art where I realized that being Chinese Filipino is not an either/or kind of situation. One identity is not above the other. The existence of being both Chinese and Filipino is what makes the subculture so unique. I want my artwork to resonate to people, to commence discourse about the issue at hand, to make my viewers question, and to inspire people. Despite the particularity of my works, the audience can still relate to it since it tackles the notion of identity, hybridity of culture, and displacement,” she shares.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/630b715c-cc88-4b66-b888-8d245941d761_winna go 12.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">&#x27;Threading Through Time&#x27; by WInna Go<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"><em> Courtesy of Art Cube Gallery  </em></span></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Complementing her paintings in <em>Threading Through Time</em> is a soft sculpture work that echoes her interest in the exploration of culture through embroidery and fiber art.  She shows archival materials culled through her completion of her masters degree in Taiwan, validating her  ties to her heritage and her destiny.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/1a5bd861-97bf-4f4f-ac0b-6b3cca15277c_winna go 7.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Installation, &#x27;Threading Through Time&#x27; by Winna Go<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"><em> Courtesy of Art Cube Gallery  </em></span></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>“Art is powerful because it is a means that can be used communicate to people, regardless of the time period that they are in. Art withstands time and outlives the artist. Therefore, an artist can still be commemorated even centuries after his/her death,” contemplates the artist, who has affectionately paid tribute to her ancestors, via the stitches she depicted on her robe paintings, each one a reminder of her culture, its stature and grace.</p><div><br/></div><div><em>Winna Go participated in the Xavier Art Festival 2022 and donated a portion of their sales to the ABS-CBN Foundation.  Threading Through Time</em><em> is on view at the Art Cube Gallery through May 27, 2023.  Visit <a href="https://www.artcubephilippines.com/" target="_blank">Art Cube Gallery</a> at OPVI Center, Unit 104 G/F Building 3, OPVI Centre, 2295 Chino Roces Ave, Makati.  Call  (02) 8816 7758.</em></div>