Pacita Abad: The First Retrospective of Pacita Abad's Paintings, co-curated by Victoria Sung and Ruba Katrib at MoMA PS1, New York

This spring MoMA PS1 presents the first retrospective of artist Pacita Abad (Filipina-American, 1946-2004). Spanning the artist's 32-year career, the exhibition includes more than 100 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, the presentation celebrates the multifaceted work of an artist whose vibrant visual, material, and conceptual concerns push forward salient conversations around globalization, power, and resilience.

The exhibition is accompanied by the first major publication on Abad's work, produced by the Walker. The volume is edited with text by Victoria Sung and includes contributions from Julia Bryan-Wilson, Nancy Lim, Ruba Katrib, Xiaoyu Weng, and Matthew Villar Miranda, as well as a comprehensive oral history by Pio Abad and Sung.

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.

Watch Video Talk with Ruba Katrib, Joan Kee and Pio Abad

Watch NYC-ARTS on PBS on "Pacita Abad" at MoMA PS1