Ceramic Artist Winnie Go’s Unique Vision
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Winnie Go (Source: winnielgo.netlify.app)
That opening came serendipitously as she took one of the shortcuts to her classes. She would often pass by a building with big windows that housed an art studio. Each day that she walked past that way kindled a spark of inspiration, making her realize there were some paths into the unexplored corners of her life. Dutiful daughter that she was, she couldn't drop out of business school just yet, so she put those yearnings on hold and, at 28, graduated and got married.
Her Chosen Path
She moved to Hong Kong and lived there for a few years before going back to Manila to start raising a family. She managed all this while simultaneously pursuing her love for pottery, learning from different teachers in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and the United States.
It was a brave pivot that gave her a purpose, one that aligned with her true creative self. In Manila, she was mentored by the pioneer of Philippine Contemporary Pottery, Jon Pettyjohn.
"I must have studied under Jon for 20 years off and on. I learned so much from him. I think my most important foundation of understanding clay, its uses and nuances, really came from him. I learned so many do's and don’ts. He made me see things differently and open my mind to many possibilities. As a teacher, he had a profound and positive influence on me. "
Those years at Jon Pettyjohn's Pansol pottery studio were an artistic awakening for Winnie and an experience that significantly shaped her career. This inevitably led to her joining group shows with her peers and having solo exhibits in Manila and abroad.
“An Apple A Day”, stone ware, 2019
“A Mystical Place”, 16.69 in x 12.75 in x 1.19 in / 42.39 cm x 32.39 cm x 3.02cm (framed), new and old repurposed textiles, vintage celluloid or Bakelite buttons, sashiko thread, 2021
Moving Forward
Her early works showcased in the group shows were purely functional vessels that tested perceptions of clay and were influenced by traditional Japanese stoneware. Not stopping there, Winnie worked with shapes, scale, space, and the limits of clay–what clay could, should and couldn't do, eventually leading her towards unconventional works that crossed the confines of traditional pottery as craft.
She was on a creative roll, traveled more, and took immersive courses in different parts of the world from Colorado to Mexico and the Americas. This enabled her to express and develop her identity while making real-life connections and gaining maturity and confidence.
She found herself wanting to put a voice to her creations aside from just reimagining possibilities. She started added colors to her pieces, a direction that resulted in numerous solo and collaborative exhibitions filled with fresh and exuberant works that manifested joy and a love of creating.
After all these years, Winnie says she is still mastering the form. Today her works come from a more personal space: identity and intimacy. She challenges old notions of craft by creating pieces that are emotionally resonant, focusing more on the idea behind each work.
"I used to make purely functional objects, that was when I was starting out as a hobbyist and joining group shows. As I became older and doing more one woman shows, I started to think of my work as intentions. I believed that I was so lucky to have a platform to share my work and my art."
Her work had to mean something to a viewer; it had to strike a chord somewhere, convey a message simple or profound. They had to go beyond the gaze.
“Sacred Valley” is a body of work inspired by her various trips to markets in South America where she saw the abundance and variety of produce from valleys that were once the fertile and spiritual bases of the ancient American empire. A place so simple and underdeveloped with so much agricultural richness amazed her. Her epiphany: real abundance is creating something special out of the ordinary.
Sacred Valley, stoneware with textile, 2015 (From “Sacred Valley” Exhibition)
Sacred Valley, stoneware with textile, underglaze, 2015 (From “Sacred Valley” Exhibition)
She was inspired to translate this realization into a potent reminder of what is truly important in our lives through a medium she loves. The result was a beautiful profusion of hand-painted and glazed paper stoneware and clay objects. She added pods, fruits, foraged plants, and painted seeds in boxes and trays. Artfully tied with string and rope, they became hand-held reminders of nature's bounty and its power to ground us.
Her latest solo show “Unearthed” was close to her heart because it spoke of the past and the present. The core of the exhibit was seemingly mundane objects like rocks, shells, twigs, dried fruits, and seeds placed in hand-made drawers made from recycled redwood fences. The wooden planks showing their knots and holes from age were perfect repositories of her glazed and painted objects. Each drawer turned into a curated collection of storied objects in complex colors that radically transformed perceptions and expectations of art.
Untitled (box 11 with 6 pcs. stoneware), drawer: 2 x 12.5 x 11 in / 5.08 x 31.75 x 27.94 cm, stoneware, paracord, antique knob, upcycled redwood fence, 2023 (From “Unearthed” Exhibition)
Untitled (box 17 with 24 pcs. stoneware, 18 knobs), drawer: 2 x 25.5 x 16.5 in / 5.08 x 64.77 x 41.91 cm, stoneware, paracord, waxed string, antique knobs, upcycled redwood fence, 2023 (From “Unearthed” Exhibition)
"These are mostly objects and finds underfoot because often what lies above and below us are things we never see or notice. And that's where so much history of what we eat, where we've been, or are going or nature which provides us with life and nurturing, comes from. It's a reminder for all of us, that these too are important."
“Unearthed” was a singular experience for Manila audiences because it offered a breadth of imagination that awakened wonderment and conscience, marking her inimitable style.
"I used to make purely functional objects, that was when I was starting out as a hobbyist and joining group shows.”
Growth and Change
And so, even as she now begins the groundwork for her next show, Winnie continues on her path of curiosity, hope, gratefulness, and growth, ever mindful that everything she makes has a voice. Realizing that one is given a serious platform to create and touch the soul, she begins work by invoking a small benediction that puts her mind and body into the immersive and meditative process that is pottery. It’s a prayer that her art would keep striking a chord and remain relevant in today’s world.
Glenna Aquino is a Filipino writer and journalist who has written about arts, travel, culture and business for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. She was Asia Pacific Contributing Editor for the Middle East art journal : Art Bahrain. Her writing has been shaped by her various experiences of living in different parts of the world. She now lives in Manila and writes for the online magazine The Diarist.ph.
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