Arts & Culture: Silverlens showcases Pacita Abad in Art Basel 2021

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — SILVERLENS is pleased to be participating in the Basel show of Art Basel for the third time. In 2021, Silverlens is presenting Pacita Abad in the Features section, with exceptional art historical material produced in the last years of the artist’s life. Previous participations were in Statements with Maria Taniguchi (2013) and Martha Atienza (2017).

Pacita Abad with a piece from her Masks and Spirits series, courtesy of the Pacita Abad Estate

Silverlens presents the work of late Filipino-American artist Pacita Abad (b. 1946, Batanes, Philippines, d. 2004, Singapore). A pluralist approach to image-making across cultures, histories, and styles underpins Abad’s work throughout the decades, offering an informed and idiosyncratic global perspective on art-making as a cultural tradition rooted in many places at once. The presentation will focus on her Endless Blues’ series from the early 2000’s. Produced towards the end of the artist’ s life, these works bring together Abad’s fascination with batik fabric, her love for blues music, and embed the colour, energy, and vibrancy of a life on the road in diverse forms of abstraction. Silverlens presents a historically important artist, for the first time to the discerning public of ArtBasel.

Pacita Abad, Blues train to Yogya, 2002, 240x180cm, oil, painted cloth stitched on canvas. Image courtesy of the Pacita Abad Estate. (front of artwork)

Pacita Abad, Blues train to Yogya, 2002, 240x180cm, oil, painted cloth stitched on canvas. Image courtesy of the Pacita Abad Estate. (verso of artwork)

Pacita Abad, Early one morening, 2003, 240x180cm, oil, painted cloth stitched on canvas. Image courtesy of the Pacita Abad Estate. (front of artwork)

Pacita Abad, Early one morening, 2003, 240x180cm, oil, painted cloth stitched on canvas. Image courtesy of the Pacita Abad Estate. (verso of artwork)

Pacita Abad, Paris in the Fall, 2003, 240x180cm, acrylic, painted cloth stitched on canvas. Image courtesy of the Pacita Abad Estate. (front of artwork)

Pacita Abad, Paris in the Fall, 2003, 240x180cm, acrylic, painted cloth stitched on canvas. Image courtesy of the Pacita Abad Estate.(verso of artwork)

Three contemporary artists will be featured alongside the late artist through the Art Basel OVR. Artists who are connected to the artist, either in form or in history. Pio Abad (b. 1983, Manila, lives and works in London), Patricia Perez Eustaquio (b. 1977 Cebu, lives and works in Baguio City) and Nicole Coson (b. 1992, Manila, lives and works in London) will be showing curatorially relevant pieces, including new works.

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