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In my “Filipiana series”, I went backward into past to attempt to redefine the perception of this particular genre in my understanding. More than often this genre is considered commercial and the domain of the older generation of artists, who had shaped and molded how filipiniana should be. My specific purpose was to go back and learn depictions of that time and translate it into our modern period. We have been steeped in “Modernism and Post-Modernism” that we almost forget that this genre has more to offer our modern times. As an artist, I seek in my own way to depict the nostalgia of the past as opposed to the pensive gloom of today. If you look at the “old depictions” you see an idealized world, wherein the simple beauty of the Filipina is the subject. It isn’t just using complex modernist dogmas or post-modern thought processes, but the sheer pleasure of visually perceiving the Filipina and the myriad of expressions for this particular genre.
“Maria: A Kaleidoscope” is all about further exploration of the traditional Filipina, her traditional roles in colonial or pos-colonial times, and how the Filipiniana dress serves as a tool of protection, comfort (or discomfort), and submission or subservience. In this set, the women are veiled and hidden with the help of the veil, the salakot, the side profile, and the backside perspective. They seem busy with daily activities and they do not look the viewer in the eye. The Filipina, then, is presented as mysterious, non-confrontational, nameless, and ever elusive. To Abbas, this is the typical Filipina of the past. This exhibit goads the viewer to see more than the scenes. The viewer is encouraged to take in all the elements in these paintings to conjure a backstory for each scene. Why limit oneself to just viewing a singular piece when one can perceive a personal interpretation of each picture? The viewer is encouraged to be engaged, and immerse oneself in the scene. Maria is an invitation to connect, conjure, and conjecture from the context of these intriguing images.