Silverlens opens two new solo exhibitions: small vast things by Ayka Go and mirrors, merging by Catalina Africa, both exploring transformation through nature and the act of painting itself.
Silverlens invites visitors into two distinct yet quietly connected artistic journeys: opening on July 25, 2026, the gallery presents small vast things by Ayka Go and mirrors, merging by Catalina Africa, two solo exhibitions that reflect on change through deeply personal lenses. While Go looks outward to the rhythms of nature, Africa turns inward, tracing moments of surrender through painting itself. Both exhibitions run until August 22, 2026, at Silverlens Manila.
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small vast things by Ayka Go
For years, Ayka Go has been known for her meticulous trompe-l’œil paintings that transform creased and folded paper into meditations on memory. In small vast things, however, she steps into unfamiliar territory. The exhibition marks a shift away from paper as her primary subject and toward the natural world, drawing inspiration from the ecosystem that slowly emerged in her studio garden. Butterflies, caterpillars, dragonflies, and changing foliage became constant companions, prompting a closer look at cycles of growth, decay, and renewal.
Among her biggest fascinations were butterfly wings. Under a microscope, their vivid blues disappeared into muted greys, revealing that their color comes not from pigment but from the way light interacts with microscopic structures. As Go reflects, “There is beauty in nature’s concealment.” That revelation became a fitting metaphor for painting itself, where much of the work happens beneath the finished surface. To translate these observations, she abandoned familiar techniques, trading larger brushes for miniature ones and embracing brighter, more saturated palettes. Alongside the paintings are crocheted paper cocoon sculptures and monumental canvases inspired by the changing Philippine seasons, all pointing toward the quiet transformations that often happen before anyone else can see them.
mirrors, merging by Catalina Africa
With mirrors, merging, Catalina Africa presents five new paintings that examine what she describes as the “innerscape of transitions.” Long recognized for works that weave together painting, sculpture, performance, and sound, Africa has built a practice rooted in spirituality and the natural landscape. This latest body of work feels especially personal, reflecting a period of profound change in which painting is more about navigating uncertainty than creating images.
Water flows throughout the exhibition, appearing as still pools, springs, and flowing channels that stand in for moments of surrender and transformation. While earlier works mapped unfamiliar territory through symbols and archetypes, mirrors, merging lets the act of painting lead the way. The landscapes begin to resemble real terrain as much as imagined interiors, shaped by Africa’s experience cultivating land in Baler and her ongoing eco-spiritual practice. Rather than searching for resolution, these paintings sit with the unknown, suggesting that change occurs slowly, much like water finding its course. Across the five works, painting becomes witness and anchor, holding space for a self that’s constantly becoming.
“small vast things” by Ayka Go and “mirrors, merging” by Catalina Africa will be on view at Silverlens Manila from July 25, 2026, to August 22, 2026.
Photos courtesy of Silverlens Manila
Frequently Asked Questions
Silverlens is presenting two solo exhibitions: small vast things by Ayka Go and mirrors, merging by Catalina Africa.
The exhibition explores themes of growth, transformation, and nature. Inspired by the ecosystem in the artist’s studio garden, it features new paintings alongside crocheted paper cocoon sculptures.
mirrors, merging is a series of five new paintings that examine transition, surrender, and the relationship between inner landscapes and the natural world through recurring water motifs.
Both exhibitions open on Saturday, July 25, 2026, with a public reception beginning at 5 PM at Silverlens Manila.
Both exhibitions will be on view at Silverlens Manila from July 25, 2026, through August 22, 2026.
