‘Pacita Abad’ is a kaleidoscopic retrospective of the late artist’s work
Manu Sharma, stirworld
November 2024
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Canada Canada is currently presenting Pacita Abad, the Canadian leg of the first major retrospective by the eponymous Filipino-American artist (1946 - 2004), from October 9, 2024 - January 19, 2025. The solo show spans Abad’s career of 32 years, bringing together over 100 works, including painting works, prints and the technique of trapunto (traditional Italian quilts), which she used to create colourful quilted paintings that were embellished with accumulated materials, addressing various political topics through her work. Pacita Abad is organised by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, in collaboration with the artist’s estate, and is curated by Victoria Sung, Phyllis C. Wattis Senior Curator, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and curatorial fellow Matthew Villar Miranda from the Visual Arts department at Walker Art Center. The AGO presentation is organised by Renée van der Avoird, associate curator of Canadian art, AGO, in collaboration with Carla Felix, community outreach advisor. Van der Avoird joins STIR for an interview that explores the artist’s perspective on transforming the language of quiltmaking and how she channelled her global inspirations. […]