Exhibitions

‘Kaleidoscope’ by Olivia D’Aboville – Altro Mondo Creative Space

Altro Mondo Creative Space

Mar 19 - Apr 23, 2022

^{Kaleidoscope VII, 2022, Philippine silk and polyester, 39.4 x 78.7 inches
All images courtesy of Altro Mondo Creative Space}

Kaleidoscope is a fitting title to describe the works included in Olivia d'Aboville's eighth solo exhibition, composed of works that feature her signature textured fabrics–fragmented pieces of silk stitched together and manipulated through shibori and appliqué techniques–that explode into a prismatic sea of colors.

D’Aboville has always used Philippine silk as one of her mediums of choice, but the show is a departure from her usual collections typically infused with elegance, movement, and flow. These works are instead covered in its entirety with a smattering of fragmented and distorted pieces of silk that come together to make a whole, giving each new piece a bolder feel, with the illusion of fraction, distortion, and an eruption of textures and hues.
 
The works were inspired by a frenzied yet fulfilling period for the artist, which kept her busy at home with her family. d'Aboville relates these frenetic works to her experience as a mother during the pandemic, which she describes as chaotic, overwhelming, but nonetheless beautiful and exciting. These musings take shape in the work, with d'Aboville layering textiles upon textiles, resulting in works that are both unrestrained yet methodical in its manipulation of the artist's chosen mediums.

Moreover, the collection's all over print–an arrangement of motifs that are relatively close and evenly distributed–juxtapose different emotions by way of colors, textures, and patterns. Some pieces are imbued with bright pastels that convey a sense of joy and levity, while others are suffused with monochrome palettes of black, white, and blue to communicate a feeling introspection and isolation. 

The stitched together layers of fabric is d'Aboville's attempt to stitch fragments of her life together and create something meaningful out of the waves of new feelings and experiences that washed over her during this period. They're also a subtle an ode to being a mother and the tumultuous feelings that come with the role.

About the Artist

Olivia D’Aboville
Olivia D’Aboville is a young French-Filipino artist who graduated with honors from Duperré, a prestigious Textile Design school in Paris in 2009. She specialized in tapestry and textile structures and adapted the techniques to create her own woven forms. She has been exploring sculpting with textile techniques since then and had her first solo exhibition Chasm of Fantasies at the Ayala Museum from July to October 2010.