Groundbreaking Artist Winna Go Brings Art and Design Together in a Powerful Exploration of the Chinoy Diaspora!

Does a chasm divide art and design? The answer to this question lies in the artworks of Winna Go, one of the most promising young artists of her generation. Go, who was born in 1997, defines design thinking as user-centric, a mindset that requires empathy with the user whose problems design seeks to solve.

Go applies that kind of design thinking in her art-making process, believing that artists are also capable of solving problems, most especially societal issues. Her deep awareness of the social context is undeniable in the making of her art, which effectively communicates because the imagery clarifies the ideas she wants to explore.

Her recent exhibit at the Finale Art File, entitled On the Roots and Routes of Diaspora, followed the same design practice. Divided into four parts, namely, Revolutionary Antecedents, Diaspora in Blue, Reimagined Community, and Endeavored Prosperity, the canvases emanated from feelings of solidarity with the myriads who migrate on land and sea. Go describes the diasporic journey as a perilous venture that takes lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

Her works are hyper-realistic renditions of patterns of paofu, a traditional long one-piece robe whose upper and lower parts are constructed from a single fabric, making them blend seamlessly. Images of the dragon, phoenix, Arowana, and fu dog danced on the fabric as though manufactured with precision. Once sacred and now part of popular lore, the iconography recalls the Chinese mass migration starting in the 1900s in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines.

Go does not impose what cultural identity entails, but rather tests the viewers knowledge of their own cultural roots. For example, she corrects common mistakes about the paofu. The robes are unisex and worn mainly by men; sometimes, women wear them too.

The merger of art and design thinking was also keenly felt in the installation work that hung from the ceiling like sails. As she describes it: The layered translucent fabrics showcase an endless and restless sea, which heightens the uncertainty of the routes of diaspora that our ancestors had taken before.

Go discloses how some of her ancestors succumbed to the belligerence of the sea as they fled the unrest that resulted from the conflict between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as well as the Boxer and Cultural Revolutions. Deeply rooted in Chinese Filipino culture, these works arise from compassion for the experience of immigrants who strive to assimilate, localize, and form communities even as they meet bias and discrimination.

Go s college experience formed her foundation as a young artist. Poised to take up a degree in computer engineering at De La Salle University (DLSU), a scholarship under the School of Design and Art prompted her to major in multimedia arts at DLS-College of St. Benilde in 2019. She honed her skills in sketching and drawing, creative thinking, and context analysis.

More important, to the young student who had been born and grew up in Manila surrounded by fellow Chinoys all her life, she learned to deal with and interact with classmates from different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.

As she puts it, DLS-CSB opened doors of opportunities for me, not just through the corporeal aspect of learning but also through an introspective journey of revisiting one s roots. Her capstone project, a thesis entitled Revisiting the Roots of the Chinese-Filipino Youth: Language, Culture, and Tradition, inspired the creation of a painting entitled Embroidered Thoughts for the Philippine Art Awards. The painting probed into her Chinese origins and embodied the identity crisis experienced by people with mixed heritage.

Go later earned her master s in cultural and creative industries from the Taipei National University of the Arts in 2022.

In Go s paintings, art and design both reflect how strong and vibrant cultures fight against homogenization and are enriched by the diaspora. Go is currently preparing for upcoming local and international solo exhibits and group shows slated between now and 2026.

With her art, Go is not just creating beautiful pieces; she is also opening the doors to a deeper understanding of the importance of cultural heritage and the struggles and triumphs of those who have experienced the Chinoy diaspora.