A celebration of colour and diversity lies at the heart of Pacita Abad’s practice, building a complex dialogue that spans across continents and chronologies. Born in Batanes, a fishing island in the Philippines, Pacita Abad (1946-2004) has become a key figure in contemporary art, renowned for her vibrant, interdisciplinary works. Abad’s reputation has grown significantly in recent years, underscored by major museum acquisitions and major solo exhibitions across the world. Within the last year, there have been solo shows of Abad’s works at prominent international institutions such as Tate Modern in London and the MoMA in New York. Museums in Asia and the Middle East have also seen major solo shows of Abad’s works, including the Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai and the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.

Abad’s affinity with textiles can perhaps be traced back to her childhood where Abad learned to sew, crochet, and embroidery under the tutelage of her mother, who made the family’s clothes, bedspreads, and curtains. During her t.mes studying in San Francisco, Abad was exposed to the textiles of the hippie movement, particularly through her work as a seamstress. Intricate embroidery and beads adorned the fabrics, inspired by textiles from countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, and India. Further inspiration arose during a hitchhiking trip across Asia with her husband, where she encountered an array of clothes and accessories worn by the local women. The intrinsic globality of Abad’s practice crafts a cross-cultural exchange that encapsulates the diversity of the people who have shaped these regions, shining a spotlight on the vibrant cultural dialogue that Abad engages with.

Abad’s trapunto works have become a quintessential aspect of her oeuvre, characterized by the quilted surface, defined by paths of stitching; the term trapunto can be derived from the Italian ‘trapungere,’ meaning to sew and stuff. Abad has cited influences from across the globe, including mola from the San Blas Islands of Panama, bark cloth from Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia, embroidery from Afghanistan, and beadwork from Kenya. The trapunto technique allowed Abad to articulate and build an expansive exploration of socio-political commentary and global culture.

Assaulting the eye with ecstasy (1984), is a part of Abad’s Oriental Abstractions series, spanning from 1983-1992. Borne from a trip to Seoul in 1983, the series grew from a few weeks working with a Buddhist monk who guided Abad through the techniques of traditional ink painting. Building from the subject of a rice stalk, Abad developed the figurative representation to a place of pure abstraction, challenging the visual parameters of the image. In Assaulting the eye with ecstasy, the imagery itself possesses a woven quality that constructs layers of intricacy, the colours confronting and flowing with each other at intersections of stitching. Buttons and mirrors pepper the surface of the trapunto, reflecting an innate light and rhythm that drifts through the series.

The work is fresh to market, having been acquired directly from an exhibition in Hong Kong in 1986, presented by Pai Sui Loong Galleries at the Hong Kong Arts Centre. The trapunto has been held in the same private collects ion since, offering collects ors a rare opportunity to acquire a well-preserved, historically important example.