Pio Abad

Untitled (Inventory)

Using the silk scarf as a contemporary reimagining of the vanitas still life, Untitled (Inventory) by Pio Abad features digital scans of ink drawings produced by the artist from an expanding personal archive of images. Here flotsam gathered on the beaches of Northern Philippines lie alongside domestic objects recovered from conflict zones and forgotten artifacts stored deep in museum archives. Laid out in a decorative formation, all that remains of unidentified persons possessions are transformed into objects of cultural and historical significance; reminiscent of the stars on a flag or jewels on a necklace. The arrangement and cataloging of these objects suggest a museological practice, inviting viewers to consider the narratives and power dynamics embedded within material culture. Silk scarves are the ultimate luxury object; beautiful and desirable. Abad has regularly returned to this unusual material as his medium, stripping them of their wearable function and employing them as surfaces for retelling (hi)stories. Unsettling the ways in which history is collected, preserved, and interpreted, the work’s subtitle considers the act of taking stock and underlying systems of value and meaning.