Paolo Arao

Lives and works in New York

Artist statement

I make textile paintings and site-responsive installations that are rooted in geometric abstraction. My materials include hand-woven textiles on a floor loom; hand-dyed, painted, and commercially sourced fabrics; re-purposed clothing, paint-stained canvas, and weathered drop cloths. I use a sewing machine to piece and stitch these various fabrics together to create works that resemble flags, sails or quilts. My use of color and pattern is deeply connected to indigenous textile traditions of the Philippines where it is believed that color and pattern are imbued with a spiritual, healing and/or protective power. The more dizzying the pattern and/or the more colorful the textile, the more protection it offers to its wearer in warding off evil spirits. This faith (or superstition) in the power of color and pattern is an essential source of inspiration. Color is vital to my work. I carry color within me. My relationship to color is not passive. It is political, it is personal, it is emotional, it is felt, and it is in my very being.

Artwork