Provenance

This work by Pio Abad ( (b. 1983, Manila; lives and works in London) is a highlight of the artist’s presentation in the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, titled In Minor Keys and organized by late curator Koyo Kouoh. Abad was selected to present an installation of new and recent works in the Central Pavilion in the Giardini della Biennale that highlight the artist’s interest in probing colonial museum collections and contemporary narratives. 

Abad's acclaimed series 1897.76.36.18.6 features meticulous drawings that juxtapose the Benin bronzes held in the British Museum with quotidian objects from the artist's southeast London home. This body of works on paper highlight the deep entanglements of personal and imperial histories. Abad’s home sits on the former British Army Grand Stores, historically a storage facility for British Army equipment and later a staging ground for objects from the 1897 punitive expedition to the Kingdom of Benin. Abad’s practice locates this historical nexus, inviting reflection on imperial extraction by presenting objects that reflect this violent history: from tropical houseplants and imported spices found in his home to contested cultural artifacts. In his drawings, Abad pairs Benin bronzes with personal belongings of equivalent scale, revealing affinities between them and underscoring the shared colonial history of the everyday object and the stolen object.