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13th Gwangju Biennale: Curated by Defne Ayas and Natasha Ginwala. Ten of Pacita's large abstract paintings from her 'Door to Life' and 'Abstract Emotions' series in Gallery 2

Past exhibition
1 April - 9 May 2021
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Overview
100 years of freedom: from Batanes to Jolo, 1998 Oil, acrylic, Philipppine 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) stitched on dyed cotton 222 x 197 in 564 x 500 cm
100 years of freedom: from Batanes to Jolo, 1998
Oil, acrylic, Philipppine 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) stitched on dyed cotton
222 x 197 in
564 x 500 cm

The 13th Gwangju Biennale, Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning, opens on 1 April 2021 with 69 participating artists and 40 new commissions, in Gwangju, South Korea. The exhibition will last until 9 May 2021 and is held at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall, Gwangju National Museum, and Gwangju Theater, Yangnim mountain - Horanggasy Artpolygon.

 

Ten of Pacita's large abstract paintings from her 'Door to Life' and 'Abstract Emotions' series, painted during the 1990s, are part of the Biennale (Gallery 2). They are stitched and embellished extensively with various traditional, ethnic fabric that she collected from her global travels.

 

It includes her '100 years of freedom: Batanes to Jolo'.  In 1998 while living in Jakarta, Pacita was invited to join an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila to celebrate the Philippine Centennial. She was in the midst of creating her textile collages and decided to create an installation which she called '100 Years of Freedom: Batanes (the Philippine's northernmost island where she was born) to Jolo (the southernmost island closest to Malaysia and Indonesia)'.

 

Pacita decided to create an assemblage, which was  stitched and painted on a 12.5 feet high and 12.5 feet wide Muslim wedding tent, which she brought from Zamboanga. On this base she collaged and stitched pieces of textiles from all parts of the Philippines that she had been collecting for more than 20 years: handwoven cloth from Baguio and Bontoc; ikat from villages in Kalinga Apayao; t'nalak from Lake Seibu, tubao scarves and malongs from Mindanao; my grandmother's lace mantilla from Cebu; crocheted curtains  made by her mother in Batanes; panuelos of her father; and many other pieces of Philippine fabric.

 

WATCH VIDEO WALKTHROUGH HERE

 

READ ABOUT PACITA'S TEXTILE COLLAGES HERE

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Installation Views
  • Installation images (detail): courtesy of the 13th Gwangju Biennale

    Installation images (detail): courtesy of the 13th Gwangju Biennale

  • Exhibition Gwangju Biennale Installation 2
  • Exhibition Gwangju Biennale Installation 1
Works
  • 100 years of freedom: from Batanes to Jolo, 1998 Oil, acrylic, Philipppine 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) stitched on dyed cotton 222 x 197 in 564 x 500 cm
    100 years of freedom: from Batanes to Jolo, 1998
    Oil, acrylic, Philipppine 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) stitched on dyed cotton
    222 x 197 in
    564 x 500 cm
  • White heightens the awareness of the senses, 1998 Oil, acrylic, oil pastel, dyed cotton, painted canvas, painted cloth stitched on canvas 84 x 63 in 213 x 160 cm
    White heightens the awareness of the senses, 1998
    Oil, acrylic, oil pastel, dyed cotton, painted canvas, painted cloth stitched on canvas
    84 x 63 in
    213 x 160 cm
  • Turmoil, 1991 Acrylic, oil, painted cheese cloth, buttons, mirrors on stitched and padded canvas 85 x 68 in 215 x 172 cm
    Turmoil, 1991
    Acrylic, oil, painted cheese cloth, buttons, mirrors on stitched and padded canvas
    85 x 68 in
    215 x 172 cm
  • Black and white stones in old Sanaa II, 1999 Oil on canvas 63 x 39 in 160 x 99 cm
    Black and white stones in old Sanaa II, 1999
    Oil on canvas
    63 x 39 in
    160 x 99 cm
  • Door connects me to the greatest happiness I have known, 1999 Oil, painted cloth, buttons stitched on padded canvas 65 x 39 in 165 x 99 cm
    Door connects me to the greatest happiness I have known, 1999
    Oil, painted cloth, buttons stitched on padded canvas
    65 x 39 in
    165 x 99 cm
  • Door made of straw I, 1998 Oil, acrylic, printed cloth, dyed canvas stitched on straw mat 89 x 53 in 226 x 135 cm
    Door made of straw I, 1998
    Oil, acrylic, printed cloth, dyed canvas stitched on straw mat
    89 x 53 in
    226 x 135 cm
  • Door made of straw II (Luv ya like an animal), 1998 Oil, acrylic, painted and dyed canvas, painted cloth stitched on straw mat 89 x 53 in 226 x 135 cm
    Door made of straw II (Luv ya like an animal), 1998
    Oil, acrylic, painted and dyed canvas, painted cloth stitched on straw mat
    89 x 53 in
    226 x 135 cm
  • Door made of straw III, 1998 Oil, acrylic, painted and dyed canvas, painted cloth stitched on straw mat 89 x 53 in 226 x 135 cm
    Door made of straw III, 1998
    Oil, acrylic, painted and dyed canvas, painted cloth stitched on straw mat
    89 x 53 in
    226 x 135 cm
  • Stained glass door in Sanaa, 1998 Oil, printed cloth, painted canvas stitched on canvas 87 x 63 in 221 x 160 cm
    Stained glass door in Sanaa, 1998
    Oil, printed cloth, painted canvas stitched on canvas
    87 x 63 in
    221 x 160 cm
  • The Sky is the limit, 2000 Oil, painted handwoven cloth, buttons stitched on canvas 59 x 167 in 150 x 424 cm
    The Sky is the limit, 2000
    Oil, painted handwoven cloth, buttons stitched on canvas
    59 x 167 in
    150 x 424 cm
Press
  • South Korea's Gwangju Biennale Reveals Artist List for Star-Studded 2021 Edition

    Tessa Solomon, ARTNews, November 18, 2020
    This link opens in a new tab.
  • Gwangju Biennale Announces 69 Participating Artists

    Sam Gaskin, Ocula, November 18, 2020
    This link opens in a new tab.
  • ARTnews in Brief: Gwangju Biennale Reveals Partial Artist List for 2020 Edition and More from September 27, 2019

    The Editors, ARTnews, September 27, 2019
    This link opens in a new tab.
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