Bilog Bilog

An extremely well-travelled artist, Abad brings a variety of influences from different countries and different periods of her life to her work. In the physical act of constructing her works that toe the line between art and craftsmanship, Abad weaves the stories of her experiences into a myriad of patterns. One needs only to follow the line of her stitching, the complementary and sometimes contrasting colours, and the unique combination of materials, to get a sense of the interlocking paths of connection and divergence within each work that nevertheless achieve in maintaining a coherence and presence when regarded as a complete composition.

The present lot unfolds in a series of calming repetitions of colour and form, Bilog, meaning circle in Tagalog, references the use of multicoloured buttons to compose the pointillist detail of the work, and opens up a philosophical consideration of the labyrinthine circularity of existence. Each colour block is guarded by a border that appears akin to the geographical boundaries upon a map, but the mirroring of colours within the boundaries and the colour segments shows that perhaps these boundaries are more porous and arbitrary that one might initially conceive. A work that suggests multiple readings, but always an overall appreciation for the artist's innovation in compositional and material techniques, Abad continues to be regarded as one of the key artists of her generation.