Pacita Abad was a Filipina American painter known for her pioneering trapunto paintings – vibrant, quilted canvases that fuse textile, paint, and political narrative – and creating a body of work that crosses borders and artistic disciplines.
Pacita Abad was born in Batanes, Philippines, in 1946. She was raised in a large, politically engaged family; her father served as a congressman. Initially studying political science at the University of the Philippines, she became active in the student movement against the Marcos dictatorship. Following violent clashes during a protest, Abad fled the country in 1969, first travelling through Asia and then settling in San Francisco.
In America, Abad pivoted from activism to art, enrolling at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C., and later the Art Students League in New York. These formative years marked the beginning of a lifelong practice deeply intertwined with political consciousness and transnational experience.
Pacita Abad's artworks are characterised by vivid colours, textile layering, and her distinctive trapunto technique: stuffed, quilted canvases embellished with beads, mirrors and fabric. Her work merged craft traditions with a contemporary, socially engaged lens.
Pacita Abad's early paintings addressed themes of displacement and political struggle. Works like her Portraits of Cambodia series documented refugee experiences, combining acrylic paint with stitched textiles to create emotionally charged surfaces.
Her signature trapunto technique emerged in the early 1980s. Influenced by indigenous crafts, her Masks and Spirits and Endless Blues series explored global spiritual and decorative traditions, often inspired by places she had lived.
Her Immigrant Experience series spotlighted labour, exile, and cultural identity, drawing from her own journey and observations across continents. These multilayered works combined visual richness with social critique.
Even during her final years, Pacita Abad produced large-scale pieces, including painting the Alkaff Bridge over Singapore River with 55 different colours and over 2,300 circles.
During her 32-year career Pacita Abad held over 60 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 70 group exhibitions at museums and galleries in Asia, the U.S, Africa and Latin America.
Pacita Abad's work has been widely reviewed in leading publications including Frieze, Hyperallergic, ArtAsiaPacific, and the New York Times.
A Filipina-American artist known for her colourful, quilted trapunto paintings and globally influenced visual language.
It is a technique involving stuffed and stitched canvas, often adorned with beads, buttons, and fabric.
Migration, exile, identity, political resistance, and cultural hybridity.
Her work is held in 30 public collections and institutions including the Tate Modern, Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Gallery Singapore, and the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum.
Clemmie Melvin | Ocula | 2025
We partner with the world's leading galleries to showcase their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Vetted by an acclaimed group of industry peers, our gallery membership is by application and invitation only.
Learn more about Ocula MembershipLeaders in art advisory with unparalleled visibility and access to the art world's most influential galleries, collectors and auction houses.
Learn more about our team and servicesCelebrating the people and ideas shaping contemporary art via intelligent and insightful editorial.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine