Jan 9, 2025

Pacita Abad through the lens of Blessyl Buan

The Toronto-based artist shares her multidisciplinary performance inside the exhibition Pacita Abad

Photo by Ryan Buan, ivivi media.

After a successful run, the exhibition Pacita Abad will close at the AGO on January 19. Before it does, visitors are invited to take the opportunity to witness this landmark show while attending a unique in-gallery performance by Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist Blessyl Buan on January 10.

Blending dance, art and craft while drawing upon Indigenous Filipino spiritualism, Buan will present a dynamic live performance inside the Pacita Abad exhibition space. Entitled BABAElan, the performance will explore the shared identity of humans, nature, and the cosmos – a concept referred to as the Kapwa. 

“Kapwa is the Filipino philosophy of interconnectedness between humans, nature and the cosmos,” explains Buan. “It has shaped my artistic practice into a co-creative one powered by ancestral knowledge, enabling me to reclaim cultural heritage and create art as a collective act of healing and belonging.”

Photo by Ryan Buan, ivivi media.

The title of the performance, BABAElan, is a play on words. Babae means woman in Tagalog, and the Babaylan were revered shamanic priestesses during pre-colonial times. Transforming the gallery into a space for cultural exchange, BABAElan invites visitors to honour their ancestors, celebrate our interconnectedness, and embrace our collective journey through dance. The performance is inspired by the artistic legacy of Pacita Abad, celebrating themes of feminine power and cultural memory.   

“In 2023, I experienced the profound impact of Pacita Abad’s work during a visit to SFMOMA. Witnessing the storytelling and diverse materiality of her art through a diasporic lens was so inspiring that I offered a prayer of gratitude to her Spirit while at the exhibition,” Buan shared, reflecting on the exhibition. “Performing BABAElan amidst her work and legacy at the Art Gallery of Ontario is an incredible blessing, especially in my home city. This powerful juxtaposition of artistic expressions embodies Kapwa and celebrates the intergenerational strength of perpetuating culture and the richness of Filipino artistic sensibility.

Blessyl Buan is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans contemporary dance, choreography, painting, fibre, and jewellery arts (buankissed). She also has a deep-rooted academic background, holding degrees in Kinesiology and Chiropractic Medicine—all which bring a profound understanding of the human body into her artistic practice.   

Photo by Ryan Buan, ivivi media.

When asked what audiences can expect to experience during her choreographed work, Buan said, “In BABAElan, which I’ll perform alongside Candace Kumar and Diana Reyes, audiences can expect to be invited into a powerful journey that will weave traditional with contemporary accompanied by a dynamic soundscape that bridges ancestral sounds with the pulsating rhythms of hip-hop and '90s house. The banga (clay pot), raffia, and palm frons craft sculptural forms and evoke ritualistic practices. Gestures inspired by Baybayin (ancient Filipino writing) add incantation and spiritual resonance exploring multigenerational experiences of grief, struggle, resilience, and hope that unites bloodlines across the diaspora.”

BABAElan by Blessyl Buan happens Friday, January 10 at 7 pm, inside Pacita Abad. The exhibition is on view until Sunday, January 19 at the AGO on Level 2 in the Sam & Ayala Zacks Pavilions (galleries 244 and 245).