Page 200 - The 60.Venice Biennial & MoMA issue of WOA Contemporary Art magazine

WORLD-CLASS ART

PACITA ABAD

THE FIRST RETROSPECTIVE OF ARTIST PACITA ABAD (B.
PHILIPPINES, 1946–2004) WILL UNFOLD ACROSS MOMA
PS1’S THIRD-FLOOR GALLERIES. SPANNING THE ARTIST’S
32-YEAR CAREER, THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES MORE THAN
50 WORKS—MOST OF WHICH HAVE NEVER BEEN ON PUBLIC
VIEW IN THE UNITED STATES PRIOR TO THIS EXHIBITION—
SHOWCASING HER EXPERIMENTS ACROSS MEDIUMS,
INCLUDING TEXTILES, WORKS ON PAPER, COSTUMES, AND
CERAMICS.

Largely self-taught, Abad is best known for her trapuntos,
quilted paintings made by stitching and stuffing her canvases
as opposed to stretching them over a wood frame. After moving
to the United States in 1970 to escape political persecution from
the authoritarian Marcos regime, Abad sought to give visibility
to political refugees and oppressed peoples through her work.
“I have always believed that an artist has a special obligation to
remind society of its social responsibility,” she said. Organized
by the Walker Art Center in collaboration with Abad’s estate, Pacita Abad. Self-Portrait. 2003. 24-color paper pulp, mixed-media collage on
shaped, handmade STPI paper assemblage. Produced at STPI – Creative Workshop
the presentation celebrates the multifaceted work of an artist & Gallery, Singapore. Courtesy Pacita Abad Art Estate and STPI
whose vibrant visual, material, and conceptual concerns push
forward salient conversations around globalization, power,
and resilience.

Pacita Abad is organized by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.
The exhibition is curated by Victoria Sung, Phyllis C. Wattis
Senior Curator at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film
Archive and former Associate Curator, Visual Arts, Walker Art
Center, with Matthew Villar Miranda, curatorial fellow, Visual
Arts, Walker Art Center. The presentation at MoMA PS1 is
organized by Ruba Katrib, Curator and Director of Curatorial
Affairs, MoMA PS1, with Sheldon Gooch, Curatorial Assistant,
MoMA PS1.
The exhibition is accompanied by the first major publication
on Abad’s work, produced by the Walker.

Pacita Abad. 100 Years of Freedom: Batanes to Jolo. 1998. Oil, acrylic, Philippine
cloth (abaca, pineapple, jusi and banana fibers; Baguio ikat; Batanes cotton
crochet; Ilocano cotton; Chinese silk and bead; Spanish silk, Ilongo cloth; Mindanao
beads; Zamboanga and Yakan handwoven cloth and sequins) on stitched and
dyed cotton fabric. Courtesy Pacita Abad Art Estate. Photo: Chunkyo Ins

200 WORLD of ART