Ayka Go departs from the creased, folded, and worn paper forms that have long defined her practice, turning instead to the natural world as a lens through which to contemplate transformation. During a period of relative quietude in 2025, she cultivated a garden at her studio, where close observation of butterflies, insects, and seasonal change deepened her awareness of cycles of growth, decay, and renewal.

Butterfly wings became a particular source of fascination. Viewed under a microscope, their intricate structures revealed that many of their vivid colors are effects of light, a phenomenon known as structural color. This discovery resonated with Ayka’s understanding of painting as a process in which layers, labor, and transformation often remain unseen. 

The butterfly, typically associated with metamorphosis, emerged as a central symbol through which she reflected on her own experiences of inevitable change, including issues surrounding health and other expectations attached to womanhood. Observing the butterfly’s brief yet vital existence prompted a reconsideration of personal value, purpose, and contribution that can go beyond conventional measures of fulfillment.

This new series also marks a significant shift in technique. Ayka exchanged the larger brushes of her previous works to finer tools, constructing images through painstaking marks. Her palette expanded from muted earth tones to luminous colors, indicating a willingness to relinquish familiarity in favor of experimentation.

Accompanying the paintings are paper cocoon sculptures, symbols of latent identities and unrealized possibilities. Together, these latest works embody a state of becoming, of embracing the imperceptible yet profound forces that shape a life.

Words by Stephanie Frondoso

Ayka Go (b. 1993, Philippines) is a painter whose practice explores her steadfast relationship with the material of paper and its myriad of potential forms from sheets, tears, to folds. Go reinterprets her personal histories, long-forgotten memories and secret inscriptions of childhood diaries, onto her delicate and origami-like trompe l'oeil paintings.