David B. Smith Gallery is proud to announce Devotion by Paolo Arao, the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery. Presented in the Main Gallery and Project Room, Devotion features new loom and textile works alongside collaborative totemic sculptures.

 

The concept of devotion, the invisible connective tissue woven throughout experience, is indicative of Paolo Arao’s artistic practice. Through devotion we find discipline, dedication, and purpose; the natural result of years of investment. Stalwarts of his practice, colorful quilted textiles have been important attributes of works. However, new to Arao’s oeuvre are textile paintings made on the loom, handwoven multi-panel tapestries, and wooden and fiber sculptures created collaboratively with artist Gregory Beson. Each of these formats invites new possibilities of meaning into the creative process, joining in various combinations while forging unique visual and textural rhythms.

 

Following a long tradition of Filipino cultural beliefs, color and pattern are of utmost importance in Devotion. The “all-seeing, protective eye” or repeating diamond motif present throughout Arao’s work has ties to indigenous textile production. Traditionally, the more intricate and colorful the textile, the more protective the garment. Directly referencing, and not merely replicating this custom, Arao utilizes three layers of patterning: woven, quilted, and hand-stitched. Evidenced in the integrated manner in which the works are created and underscored by meticulous hand-embroidered embellishments, there is a palpable tenacity in the amount of focus and attention paid to every aspect of construction.