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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
  • Overview
  • Installation Views
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Overview
Untitled, 2016 Acrylic and Pencil on Tracing Paper 150 x 110 cm 59 1/8 x 43 1/4 in
Untitled, 2016
Acrylic and Pencil on Tracing Paper
150 x 110 cm
59 1/8 x 43 1/4 in

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
  • Untitled, 2016 Acrylic and Pencil on Tracing Paper 150 x 110 cm 59 1/8 x 43 1/4 in
    Untitled, 2016
    Acrylic and Pencil on Tracing Paper
    150 x 110 cm
    59 1/8 x 43 1/4 in
  • Untitled, 2016 Marker and Pen on Paper 29.7 x 21 cm 11 3/4 x 8 1/4 in
    Untitled, 2016
    Marker and Pen on Paper
    29.7 x 21 cm
    11 3/4 x 8 1/4 in
  • 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 63 x 39 in 160 x 100 cm
    Door connects me to the greatest happiness I have known, 1999
    Oil, painted cloth, buttons stitched on padded canvas
    63 x 39 in
    160 x 100 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
  • Untitled, 2017 Marker and Pen on Paper 9.5 x 14 cm 3 3/4 x 5 1/2 in
    Untitled, 2017
    Marker and Pen on Paper
    9.5 x 14 cm
    3 3/4 x 5 1/2 in
  • Untitled, 2016 Egg tempera on wood panel 30.5 x 22.86 cm 12 1/8 x 9 in
    Untitled, 2016
    Egg tempera on wood panel
    30.5 x 22.86 cm
    12 1/8 x 9 in
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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