Kitty Go’s visionary map to the soul

A seasoned tastemaker operating at the intersection of media and high design, Kitty Go has shifted her sharp journalist’s eye into a curator’s visionary lens.

From the newsrooms of London and Hong Kong to her tenure as an art professional, she has cultivated a sensibility that prizes an object’s “soul” over mere utility. Merging a collector’s discipline with a stylist’s flair, Go navigates and transforms antique cartography into sophisticated, living statements for the modern connoisseur.

Go invites us to rediscover the Philippines through “Mapper’s Delight,” opening this 23 April at Vetted in Makati, a highly refined exhibition and homecoming for 15 archival treasures that have journeyed from Go’s private walls in London and Hong Kong to reclaim their narrative in the heart of the metro. New Now Next gets an inclusive interview with one of Manila’s “OG” (original) arbiter of style who is now an art connoisseur.

NNN: When, How did the interest on maps come about?

Kitty Go: “My map collection started over 20 years ago for home decorating because at that time, maps were inexpensive yet were also very different from paintings.”

In an age of perfect digital accuracy, what is the specific value of a “vibrant impression” or a “charmingly human error” like a phantom island?

“There is so much beauty and storytelling not just in the creativity human hands and their errors but information of the time as evidenced by the Isla San Juan (which was non existent and later identified as Siargao) or when the Bohol area was horizontal.”

The “Tagilid” Perspective: The 1598 Insulae Philippinae is famous for its horizontal orientation. How does changing the “north-south” orientation of a country’s map affect a viewer’s psychological perception of that nation’s place in the world?

“That would just be a novelty today but at the time of that map’s creation to change it to what we know now as the map of the Philippines would be like mapping the Middle East after the first and second World Wars.”

Since the collection spans the 1500s to the 1800s under Spanish rule, how do these maps serve as a tool of colonial administration and visual records of budding national identity?

“Colonial powers did not use maps to serve ‘our’ national identity but as a guide to their pursuit of God and gold (including spices)- maps were used to identify places that have come under the Catholic Church and used for religious instruction.”

How can a map serve as a foundational pillar of national identity beyond mere geography?

“When anyone from any country sees their country’s map, there is a connection made with that image that goes beyond a guide to mountains and pathways.”

At what point does a beautiful object stop being just decor and start becoming a historical responsibility?”

“I would use importance because historical responsibility is too much of a responsibility — and a thing of beauty, whether in a public or private space, never stops being decorative.”

How does the transition of these maps from a private home in London or Hong Kong to a new gallery in Makati/Philippines change their cultural meaning?

“Philippines maps will be more highly regarded and treasured in the PHLs than anywhere else so when Vetted asked me to do this exhibition, I thought it was great timing in the best place.”

Can an object truly retain its “historical gravity” once it is marketed primarily as a “sophisticated interior statement?”

“If a work is important, it will retain its importance no matter how it is installed — witness how many big collectors living with their blue chip works.”

What is the ethical or cultural difference between being an “owner” of a rare map and being its “steward?”

“Stewardship is my choice because I have no children and have no plans to pass on any art to another generation which is the beginning of ownership.”

In our modern world where every inch of earth is mapped by satellites, have we lost the “age of mystery” that made these maps so romantic?

“Yes, as someone who does not know how to use Google Maps, this is true for me.”

As Go ends, “‘Mapper’s Delight’ is my attempt to develop a younger collector base especially for old masters, including maps and drawings — if I am considered a ‘young collector,’ that means this sector in art is between 60 and death — literally dying.”

In the end, we need to stop treating these works like relics and start treating them like the original blueprints for the future.