Enter Play House and explore the hidden rooms of Ayka Go’s creative mind
This is an excerpt from MEGA March 2024 Culture story.
Do you remember the house where you grew up in, your old room with its familiar corners, and the stories etched into the walls? Houses, like silent witnesses, bear the imprints of our memories, quietly narrating stories of our past.
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Beyond the bricks and mortar, these spaces are where the foundation of our present selves was laid brick by brick, room by room. In Play House, Ayka Go’s latest exhibition, the artist delves into the essence of these architectural memories, unraveling the interconnected narratives of yesterday and today.
Entering the Play House
Ayka, who had just returned from Singapore, where she showcased her artwork “Blue” at ART SG, unveils a softer side of her creativity with Play House. Her soft-spoken demeanor, easily mistaken for shyness, is juxtaposed with the bold strokes of her artistic expression.
As she welcomes us into the heart of Play House, we find ourselves standing before the centerpiece—a behemoth canvas painting named “Doll House.” A stunning 15×20 feet canvas, shaped like a dollhouse, it beckons with the promise of an immersive journey through the corridors of Ayka’s childhood memories.
The concept of the exhibit finds its roots in Ayka’s college thesis, where she read, scanned, and folded pages of her diary. As Ayka revisited the pages of her diary, she uncovered a world of childish wonder and imagination. The desire to recapture the unbridled creativity of her youth became the driving force behind Play House.
From small-scale paper tableaus to the grandeur of the canvas, Ayka details the meticulous process behind the artwork: “I first made the small-scale paper tableau of the dollhouse, set up the light, shot it, then made it a reference to the humongous canvas painting.”
The inclusion of the paper-folded, miniature version of the doll house in the exhibition, she shares, is her way of inviting viewers into the enchanting journey of creation. She says, “I wanted people to see kung paano ko sya ginawa from start to finish.”
Read more about how Ayka Go translated her unbridled creativity in Play House in MEGA’s March 2024 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photographed by EXCEL PANLAQUE of KLIQ.INC Art Direction JONES PALTENG. Styling BITHIA REYES. Makeup THAZZIA FALEK. Hair DEXTER LOPEZ. Sittings editor BAM ABELLON.
