Emy Vicencio

21.03.2026 – 25.04.2026

Emy Vicencio is a Filipina architect and artist based in Aarau, Switzerland. In her academic and professional work in architecture, she emphasizes precision and the quality of space. While this approach subtly informs her art, it is in her paintings that she embraces spontaneity and the beauty of human imperfection as essential elements of her practice.

In this work, part of the series “Places That Don’t Exist Anymore,” Emy attempts to bring back to life the vague memories of her childhood home, which was acquired and demolished by relatives when she was about ten years old. For the first time, she allows fragments of these memories, long buried in the past, to quietly enter the physical world. Through this process, the painting becomes more than an image. It becomes a quiet attempt to hold on to places and people that no longer exist, giving form to memories that would otherwise remain distant and uncertain.

„In my work, I create pieces that I hope will someday become part of a larger whole, navigating internal chaos throughout the process. Painting is often a painful experience for me, a tension that contrasts with the colorful and lively results of my work. Every minute with the canvas brings me face to face with the darkest parts of my waking life, which is why I limit myself to one series per year. On the surface, I work spontaneously, trusting my eyes as I navigate multiple patterns and colors. This goes back to something an interior designer once told me: that architects are often afraid to combine colors or layer patterns. This observation inspired me to confront that inhibition while continuously exploring the layers of the self, which I cannot [yet] fully verbalize, regardless of whether they resonate in the physical artwork or stay hidden in the depths within.“

https://kunstbulletin.ch/de/ausstellung/emy-vicencio-rooms-i-still-return-2026