Private Guided Tour Experience

On Tuesday, October 8, 2024, we at Fashion Ecstasy enjoyed a private guided tour of this retrospective. The tour started with opening remarks from Stephan Jost, the Michael and Sonia Koerner Director and CEO of the AGO.
In his speech, he shared that he never heard of her but was taken aback by her ‘wow factor’ and powerful life story. Little did we know then, but we would share the same sentiment by the end of the tour.

Pacita Abad: Activist, Feminist, and Political Rebel

Pacita Abad was so much more than a self-taught visual artist. She was a political activist, globetrotter, and feminist. Did you know she and her family survived an assassination attempt? This occurred during the Marcos dictatorship, of which she and her politicians were vocal critics. This near brush with death and political upbringing greatly influenced her artwork. One of the largest trapuntos in the exhibition is called “Marcos and His Cronies, 1985”, from her Masks and Spirits series. This sky-high neck-breaker of a piece features the repetitive use of a Sanni, a wooden Sri Lankan devil dancing mask used in exorcism ceremonies. The central towering demonic figure is meant to represent dictator Ferdinand Marcos, while the dolls in its mouth represent the innocent children suffering under his regime. The demon underneath the towering figure, bearing the glass-bead-adorned teeth, represents his wife, Imelda Marcos. Yes, that Imelda Marcos. This piece was a brave, bold, and vivid critique of the greed, sycophancy, and corruption of the Marcos regime, a regime that permanently left a dark stain on the island nation’s history. 

Exhibition Highlights: Underwater Wilderness

The exhibition is divided into seven rooms. Each room represents a different series or theme, such as the Immigrant Experience, Social Realism Journeys, Masks and Spirits, and the Final Project. Display cases overflowed with old magazine clippings, scrapbooks containing old fabric scraps, and other archival material that provided further insight into her life and legacy. She was featured in a short documentary titled Wild at Art, which is available for viewing within the exhibition. 

The Underwater Wilderness series was my favourite section of the exhibition. Entering into this space was like entering into an art gallery in Atlantis. As previously mentioned, Abad was an artist, political activist, feminist, and globetrotter in her legendary life. She was also an accomplished scuba diver after learning how to scuba dive in the 1980s. According to the gallery, the flora and fauna she saw above and below sea level inspired this series. She wanted me to enjoy this being underwater, too, she should have said. The deep aquamarine and seashell white of the lighting along with the coordinated wall colour enlivened that underwater atmosphere. As one who loves art and derives continuous enjoyment from staying in and around water, this room gave me truly an unforgettable sensory experience.

Strolling among the vibrant, hanging trapuntos gave the sensation of swimming alongside marine life. One crowd favourite was “The Barracuda”, a richly jewel-toned trapunto depicting a lone slender barracuda fish swimming amongst other deep sea creatures. Another crowd favourite was, “My Fear of Night Diving”, a dark, large-scale oil on padded canvas trapunto that features a giant octopus surrounded by menacing-looking fish. This would have been the stuff of my nightmares if not for the fact that there were rhinestones stitched on the shark’s fin. That was a cool detail! Speaking of cool detail, take a close look behind the trapuntos. The stitching that went into making one of these gigantic quilted paintings was eye-popping.

Final Project and Legacy

The last room was aptly titled Final Project. In 2003, she was commissioned by the city of Singapore to paint the Alkaff Bridge over the Singapore River. The bridge was completed in January 2004 and featured over 55 different colours and over 2,300 circles. Despite her daily cancer treatments, she wanted to continue living life to the fullest and spread trademark vibrancy with others. She lost her battle with lung cancer later that same year in December. 

Pacita Abad was a fearless woman who lived life to the fullest until the very end. Her art reflects her grand and expansive view of the world, recognizing that there’s inspiration all around if one looks hard, far, and wide enough. The exhibition is currently on display now until January 19, 2025. Don’t miss this chance to experience the vibrant and powerful art of Pacita Abad. For more information, please visit https://ago.ca/exhibitions/pacita-abad

Don’t Miss It!

The Pacita Abad exhibition is on display at the AGO until January 19, 2025. This is your chance to immerse yourself in her dynamic and politically charged works. Click here for more information.