A is for Pio Abad, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports
Pio Abad (b. 1983) is a contemporary visual artist living and working in London. Originally from Manilla, Abad left the Phillipines, for Scotland in 2004 to continue his studies in Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art.
Pio Abad’s practice is in dialogue with his native homeland, as seen in recent exhibition at Gasworks, London (2014). ‘Some Are Smarter Than Others’ looks at the cultural legacy of former Filipino dictators Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos: from the post-colonial mythology they promoted in public to the extravagant collections they surreptitiously amassed during their years in power. The title of the exhibition and cover of the adjoining publication is taken from ‘Some are Smarter than Others: The History of Marcos’ Crony Capitalism’, by Ricardo Manapat, 1991.
An accompanying text written by Abad, reveals the artist conceptual reasoning behind the selection of reproduced images in the show and consequently the personal impact it had on his father, who was appointed as Secretary of Agricultural Reform in 1990. More detail can be found about this exhibition on the Gasworks website.
#OFW more than a country of good looking, half-wit, opportunistic terrorists
