Shaoi's artworks are made from materials that many people might pass by without noticing - jute, thread, dried leaves, shells, terracotta, and found objects. In her hands, however, these humble materials become visible and take on new life through her compositions. They carry memory, emotion, and a strong connection to nature, while also leaving space for each viewer to bring their own feelings and reflections.
What makes her practice especially moving is the way she treats materials not simply as objects but, as she said, as "collaborators." Many of them come from places and people that matter deeply to her - family spaces, gardens, rural communities, and friends who have supported her artistic journey. Because of this, the works feel grounded in lived experience. They speak not only of form and texture, but also of belonging, care, and memory.
Her process is also closely tied to handmade labor. Stitching, knotting, weaving, and binding are central to the work, and these gestures carry meaning of their own. They reflect mending, holding, and emotional endurance, while also honoring the often overlooked labor of women and Filipino craft traditions. There is something quiet but powerful in the way these works are created - slowly, patiently, and with attention to what the materials already hold.
During our Art Talk session, Shaoi also shared some of the struggles she faced while creating several of the pieces, especially in sourcing jute. It was meaningful to hear that some of the pieces most important to her were also the ones that were most challenging to make. Those difficulties seem to give the finished works another layer of persistence.
Shaoi's art is also attentive to change. The fading of leaves, the falling of dried flowers, and the natural aging of materials are not flaws to be hidden, but part of the life of the work itself. In this way, her pieces remind us that beauty can be found in imperfection, and that fragility and strength often exist together.
What stays with me most is how differently Shaoi's works can be experienced in the gallery space and in a home setting, where they may gently undulate with the wind. Each experience offers something unique, and both are truly worth experiencing. In both, the works ask us to slow down and pay closer attention - not only to the materials themselves, but also to the feelings they may quietly awaken in us.
by Evgeniya Spiridonova