After June 2020, almost every institution made a declaration that they would implement changes to become more inclusive. Their promises posed an interesting question: What would happen if museums made a priority of showing works by more artists of color and addressing art history’s lacunae?

In the Philippines, people often speak about bayanihan, which translates as ‘a spirit of unity and solidarity.’ ‘It means coming together as a community. So if someone moves house, for instance, the whole neighborhood will help them pack and settle in,’ says Isa Lorenzo, cofounder and director of Manila-based Silverlens Galleries. ‘This same idea is very real for art communities across Southeast Asia. The success of one artist is everyone’s success.’

Known for her large scale, colorful ‘trapunto’ works, Pacita Abad (1946-2004) was a Philippine-American artist whose prolific oeuvre spanned continents and ranged from abstract forms to social realist depictions of everyday life in the U.S.A, the Philippines and elsewhere.