Pacita Abad: The First Retrospective of Pacita Abad's Paintings, Curated by Victoria Sung, at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS, November 15, 2022 — On April 15, 2023, the Walker Art Center will open the first retrospective of artist Pacita Abad (U.S., b. Philippines, 1946–2004), featuring significant and rarely-seen works from across her 32-year career. Pacita Abad will serve as the most comprehensive exploration of Abad’s works to-date, including more than 100 objects drawn from private and public collections across Asia, Europe, and the United States. A largely self-taught artist, Abad developed a distinct visual vocabulary that embraced the artistic traditions of global cultures and actively blurred the boundaries between fine art and craft. While Abad was engaged in artistic and political dialogues during her life, the depth, range, and inventiveness of her work is only now coming to prominence. The forthcoming presentation positions Abad within art historical narratives, providing new insights into her conceptual and aesthetic evolutions as well as the life experiences that so richly influenced her practice. Following its run at the Walker, through September 3, 2023, the exhibition will travel to the San Francisco Museum of Art (SFMOMA).
Pacita Abad is curated by Victoria Sung, Associate Curator of Visual Arts at the Walker, with support from Matthew Villar Miranda, Curatorial Fellow in Visual Arts at the Walker. The exhibition is developed in collaboration with the Pacita Abad Art Estate, managed by Jack Garrity, Kristi Garrity, and Pio Abad, which provided unprecedented access to archival materials, including photographs, correspondence, sketchbooks, and other primary sources, as well as to the depth of existing artworks by the artist. Pacita Abad is also accompanied by new scholarship in a 352-page catalogue, edited by Sung, and with texts by Sung and Miranda as well as by Julia Bryan-Wilson, Professor of LGBTQ Art History at Columbia University; Ruba Katrib, Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at MoMa PS1; Nancy Lim, Associate Curator of Painting and Sculpture at SFMOMA; and Xiaoyu Weng, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario. It also features an expansive oral history, edited by Sung and Pio Abad, with 20 contributors, including artists, curators, family members, and friends.
Exhibition Tour
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis: April 15–September 3, 2023
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: October 21, 2023–January 28, 2024
MoMA PS1, New York: March 28–September 2, 2024
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto: October 12, 2024–January 19, 2025
Watch Walkthrough Video with Victoria Sung and Pio Abad
Full Press Release can be downloaded below
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The Best Art Books of 2023
Staff Writer, Hyperallergic, December 20, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
The Decades-Strong Path of Color Set Ablaze By Pacita Abad
Pio Abad, Vogue Philippines, September 17, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Taking Liberty
Murtaza Vali, Artforum, August 23, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
A 350-Page Tribute to Pacita Abad’s Boundless Art
Sarah Rose Sharp, Hyperallergic, August 2, 2023 This link opens in a new tab.
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Going under the surface with Pacita Abad
Scott R. Garceau, PhilStar, June 12, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Pacita Abad exhibition on view until September 3 at Walker Art Center
Staff Writer, BusinessMirror, May 30, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
25 Pathbreaking Asian American Artists Whose Names You Need to Know
Hannah Edgar and Karen K. Ho, ARTnews, May 27, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Layered and Embellished Trapunto Paintings Exude Spirit in Pacita Abad’s First Retrospective
Jackie Andres, Colossal, May 10, 2023 This link opens in a new tab.
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Pacita Abad, an Artist of the World
Staff Writer, Sahan Journal, May 1, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Challenging Our Ideas of Art
Jane Blackburn Bornemeier, The New York Times, April 30, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
5 Thing to Know About Pacita Abad at the Walker
Peter Diamond, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, April 27, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Inspired by world travel, Pacita Abad’s work is now on display at the Walker Art Center
Sheila Regan, Minn Post, April 25, 2023 This link opens in a new tab.
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Coloring in the Margins: Pacita Abad
Alex V. Cipolle, The New York Times, April 25, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Unapologetically Pacita
Staff Writer, Walker Art Center, April 24, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Chronology of the Life and Work of Pacita Abad
Walker Art Center, April 24, 2023 -
Textiles in Pacita Abad's 100 Years of Freedom
Clarissa M. Esguerra, Walker Art Center, April 24, 2023 This link opens in a new tab.
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Designing Pacita Abad
Mỹ Linh Triệu Nguyễn, Walker Art Center, April 24, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Walker Art Center opens first retrospective of artist Pacita Abad in April
Staff Writer, ArtDaily, April 21, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Filipina American artist Pacita Abad finally gets her due at the Walker Art Center
Alicia Eler, StarTribune, April 18, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Exhibit of Pacita Abad unveiled by Walker Art Center in Arts Briefs
Cassidy Donovan, Bollyinside, April 14, 2023 This link opens in a new tab.
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'Pacita Abad' at the Walker Celebrates a Life Lived Globally - Racket
Jessica Armbruster, Racket, April 14, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
First-of-its-kind retrospective of Filipino artist Pacita Abad opens at the Walker
Jeff Wagner, CBS News, April 14, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Arts Briefs: Walker Art Center unveils Pacita Abad exhibit
Jacob Aloi, Alex V. Cipolle and Max Sparber, MPR News, April 14, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Minneapolis Walker Art Center to hold first Pacita Abad retrospective exhibit in April
Staff Writer, Rappler, April 8, 2023 This link opens in a new tab.
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Pacita Abad’s Art of Excess
J.S. Marcus, The Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
The Top 10 Exhibitions to See in April 2023
Marv Recinto, ArtReview, March 31, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Must-See Museum Shows Opening This Spring
Staff Writer, Art in America, March 1, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Walker Art Center Announces 2023 Exhibition Schedule
Julia Schiff, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, January 26, 2023 This link opens in a new tab.
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10 Trailblazing Artists with Must-See Museum Shows in 2023
Allyssia Alleyne, Artsy, January 16, 2023 This link opens in a new tab. -
Warhol Foundation Doles Out $4.1 M. in Grants to 49 Art Institutions
Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews, January 12, 2022 This link opens in a new tab. -
Long Pushed to the Margins, Pacita Abad’s Art About the Immigrant Experience Gets Global Recognition
Alex Greenberger, ARTnews, April 15, 2021 This link opens in a new tab.