The work of the late Philippine-born artist Pacita Abad is making its Canadian debut at the Art Gallery of Ontario as part of her first retrospective.
The media preview was led by co-curator Renée van der Avoird and, during the opening remarks, she said something that stuck with me through the rest of the show:
"Before anything, Pacita was an activist.
Much of Abad’s work is defined by her engagement in social justice and her exploration of materials.
As is the case with most artists, Pacita's work was influenced by her life and the world around her.
To give you some context, her father was a congressman and it was expected she would follow that path. However, as she was enrolled as a law student, she started organizing gatherings to oppose the Marcos regime and due to the increase in the political violence she left the Philippines and landed in the US in the 70's.
There, she discovered a new vibrant world which soon she started to capture through paintings and textiles. Some of these works portrayed images seen in the news, social protesters, and also vignettes from ordinary moments at the markets, showing ordinary moments of immigrants in a big city.
Shortly after landing in the US she married developmental economist Jack Garrity and together they traveled for a year across Asia through the Philippines. This trip was pivotal for Pacita as she continued learning about different traditional art practices.
She is best known for her large-scale hanging trapuntos, a form of quilted painting made of stitched and stuffed canvas, though she also incorporated the techniques she learned during her travels, such as ink-brush painting from Korea, paint brushing from the Dominican Republic, batik making from Indonesia, tie-dye from Africa, mirrors from India, and shells from Papua New Guinea.
Something curious to note is part of her work is also currently on view at the Venice biennale, which only seems fitting as this year's theme is "Foreigners everywhere".
One of my favourite parts of the exhibition is dedicated to the series inspired by the flora and fauna that Pacita created after she learned to scuba dive in the mid 1980's. I loved how the light helped create the underwater atmosphere and, in particular, I can say I share her fear for the deep sea creatures, which she captured in detail.
Unfortunately, Pacita passed away in 2004 following a three year long battle with cancer. This show is a unique opportunity to discover her body of work created over a prolific career spanning over three decades.
PACITA ABAD
October 9, 2024 – January 19, 2025
Exclusive Members' Access starts October 9 - 11, 2024
Annual Passholder & Public Access starts October 12, 2024
Tickets: ago.ca/exhibitions/pacita-abad
To learn more about Pacita visit: pacitaabad.com
