Exiled from the Philippines during the Marcos dictatorship for her political activism and later known for artwork inspired by her status as an immigrant and world traveler, Pacita Abad’s textile paintings of coral reefs are geared towards pure visual pleasure. ‘Underwater Wilderness,’ a show of brilliantly colored fabric works created in the mid to late 80s and now on view at Tina Kim Gallery in Chelsea, features scenes from the 80 dives she took around the Philippines after overcoming a fear of the water. Using a style of quilting involving paint and collage on canvas, Abad introduced materials including glitter, sequins and buttons to create vibrant, 3-D visions of the world below the surface. (In view through Aug 16th).
