Self-taught artist John Frank Sabado hails from the Mountain Province of the Philippines. Known for his intricate, tapestry-like landscapes wrought from biro- point, Sabado re-introduces to us the universal ethnic in his new exhibition “Northern Postcards.”

In this new monochromatic series, he presents an artistic practice delicate in detail and method that is akin to weaving the filaments of fiber of a textile. “Northern Postcards” weigh the ecological struggle between the utopian land and the technology’s aggressive hand. As with postcards, the intricate landscapes in Sabado’s works suggest a channel of communication: the sender of which is an indigenous echo projected towards the context of the contemporary as a material and transcendent affair.

John Frank Sabado (b. 1969, Benguet, Philippines) is an autodidact whose skills and imagery have been recognized by art institutions in the Asia Pacific since 1999. In 2000, he received the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ 13 Artists Award and was the Juror’s Choice in the Philippine Art Awards. John Frank Sabado has been exhibiting since 1990 in his home province in Benguet and Manila, Philippines. His practice has been featured in the 3rd Asia Pacific Triennale in Brisbane, Australia, the 16th International Art Exhibition in Guandong Museum of Art in China as well as the 3rd Asean Travelling Exhibition that debuted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the 2nd Fukuoka Asian Art Triennal in Japan. His last solo exhibition was in 2012 in The Drawing Room Manila.

-The Drawing Room Singapore

Image: © John Frank Sabado
Courtesy of the artist and The Drawing Room Singapore