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Through Mixed-Media Quilts, Pacita Abad Dives Into the Lush Marine Ecosystems of the Philippines

13 Aug, 2024

This post was originally published on Colossal

“Shallow Gardens of Apo Reef” (1986), oil, acrylic, mirrors, plastic buttons, cotton yarn, rhinestones on stitched and padded canvas, 132 x 137 1/2 inches. All images courtesy of Pacita Abad Estate and Tina Kim Gallery, shared with permission

After a traumatic childhood moment in which she nearly drowned, Pacita Abad (1946-2004) developed a profound fear of water. The massively prolific Filipina-American artist decided to overcome her trepidation in the 1980s and signed up for diving lessons at the British Sub-Aquatic Club in Thailand. There, she learned to safely plunge into the depths of the sea, completing more than 80 dives across the Phillippines in her lifetime.

On view at Tina Kim Gallery in New York is a vivid series of trapunto paintings—a quilting technique that involves adding stuffing for puffed layers—inspired by Abad’s love for swimming. Titled Underwater Wilderness, the exhibition presents eight large-scale works made between 1985 and 1989. Plastic buttons, rhinestones, glitter, and sequins add textured dimension to the dense prismatic seascapes of tropical fish and plants. Evidence of Abad’s fascination with the lush ecosystems, the mixed-media works stitch together a vibrant tapestry of what lies below the surface.

As noted in the gallery’s statement about the exhibition, these paintings are widely regarded as the artist’s least political body of work, although their role in her practice is more nuanced. The text explains:

The series can perhaps be read as Pacita’s bridging of personal and political histories and the “manifold lived realities” of the Philippines. After she led student demonstrations against dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the late ’60s, her parents encouraged her to complete her studies abroad after her family home was sprayed with bullets. She was only able to return to live in the Philippines in 1982 after twelve years away and started this body of work the year before the fall of the kleptocratic regime in 1986.

This is the first time the works have been exhibited together since 1987. Underwater Wilderness is up through August 16.

 

a vibrant underwater ecosystem with plants and fish

“Dumaguete’s Underwater Garden” (1987), oil, acrylic, glitter, gold thread, buttons, lace, sequins on stitched and padded canvas, 85 1/4 x 118 inches

detail of a vibrant underwater ecosystem with plants and fish made of beads

Detail of “Dumaguete’s Underwater Garden” (1987), oil, acrylic, glitter, gold thread, buttons, lace, sequins on stitched and padded canvas, 85 1/4 x 118 inches

a vibrant underwater ecosystem with plants and fish

“Sepoc Wall” (1985), oil, acrylic, mirrors and buttons on stitched and padded canvas, 139 1/2 x 132 inches

a vibrant underwater ecosystem with plants and fish

“The Far Side of Apo Island” (1989), oil, acrylic, gold thread, plastic buttons, lace, sequins on stitched and padded canvas, 88 1/4 x 69 inches

a vibrant underwater ecosystem with plants and fish

“Hundred Islands” (1989), oil, acrylic, glitter, gold thread, buttons, lace, sequins on stitched and padded canvas, 79 x 118 inches

detail of a vibrant underwater ecosystem with plants and fish

Detail of “Hundred Islands” (1989), oil, acrylic, glitter, gold thread, buttons, lace, sequins on stitched and padded canvas, 79 x 118 inches

a vibrant underwater ecosystem with plants and fish

“Anilao at its Best” (1986), oil, acrylic, mirrors, plastic buttons, and rhinestones on stitched and padded canvas, 115 3/4 x 124 7/8 inches

detail of a vibrant underwater ecosystem with plants and fish

Detail of “Anilao at its Best” (1986), oil, acrylic, mirrors, plastic buttons, and rhinestones on stitched and padded canvas, 115 3/4 x 124 7/8 inches

a brown woman with braids and scuba gear in a gallery

The artist

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Published in Science, the research combined global soil moisture data estimated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) Reanalysis v5 (ERA5), global mean sea level measurements and observations of Earth’s pole movement in order to estimate changes in terrestrial (land) water storage (TWS) from 1979 to 2016.

“The study raises critical questions about the main drivers of declining water storage on land and whether global lands will continue to become drier,” University of Melbourne author Professor Dongryeol Ryu said.

“Water constantly cycles between land and oceans, but the current rate of water loss from land is outpacing its replenishment. This is potentially irreversible because it’s unlikely this trend will reverse if global temperatures and evaporative demand continue to rise at their current rates. Without substantial changes in climate patterns, the imbalance in the water cycle is likely to persist, leading to a net loss of water from land to oceans over time.”

Between 2000 and 2002, soil moisture decreased by around 1614 gigatonnes (1 Gt equals 1 km3 of water) — nearly double Greenland’s ice loss of about 900 Gt in 2002–2006. From 2003 to 2016, soil moisture depletion continued, with an additional 1009 Gt lost.

Soil moisture had not recovered as of 2021, with little likelihood of recovery under present climate conditions. The authors say this decline is corroborated by independent observations of global mean sea level rise (~4.4 mm) and Earth’s polar shift (~45 cm in 2003–2012).

Water loss was most pronounced across East and Central Asia, Central Africa, and North and South America. In Australia, the growing depletion has impacted parts of Western Australia and south-eastern Australia, including western Victoria, although the Northern Territory and Queensland saw a small replenishment of soil moisture.

Image credit: iStock.com/ZU_09

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