This is an excerpt from MEGA’s April 2025 Arts and Culture feature
As a young art student on a budget in Europe, Olivia d’Aboville had to be resourceful. She would collect leftover packaging and plastics to cut, trim, and weave into her works. She did a loot of recycling as an art student, and this practice continued even after she graduated with honors from ESAA Duperré in Paris, with a Diploma in Arts and Textile Crafts specializing in textile structures.
Nowadays, the French-Filipino d’Aboville is acclaimed for her innovative use of Philippine textiles and commitment to sustainability. She is also head curator for the Malasimbo Festival, a board member for the D’Aboville Foundation, a wife, and a mother.
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Local influences and natural textiles
d’Aboville’s French heritage partly informs her artistic perspective, particularly in relation to textile history. France was once the center of European textile production, pioneering the Jacquard machine that revolutionized the process of manufacturing textiles with complex patterns. But while d’Aboville acknowledges this historical connection and her art education in France, her decision to become a textile artist was more a result of early exposure to local materials.
“I was born in the Philippines and I grew up here,” d’Aboville shared. “My mom collected a lot of textiles and baskets from around the country and every region has specific techniques and materials so I was exposed very early on to the beauty of Filipino crafts and textiles. That played a large role in why I chose to become a textile artist.”
Since 2015, d’Aboville has been using handwoven Philippine textiles in her textile art or textile paintings. Her signature materials are shibori silk and handwoven abaca. “I work with Rurungan Sa Tubod Foundation in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. I’ve worked with them for a long time, since Manila FAME, and for home decor accessories. They do the shibori silk. They weave the silk and then dye it for me. I choose my colors and send them my palette. The abaca, raffia, and all the handwoven larger pieces are from Cebu Interlace. They’ve been my manufacturer for maybe eight years now,” she said.
Aside from textile paintings, d’Aboville has created textile jewellery, sculptures, lighting designs and installations. Her work “explores the relationship between the organic and the synthetic,” the power of nature, and our concerns about/impact on the environment.
The material dictates the shape
While some artists start with a concept or a specific idea, d’Aboville finds inspiration while working with specific textiles and materials. Her vision is rooted in a practical and active approach to art, her commitment to sustainability, and her affinity with natural fibers and textiles from the Philippines. “Some people wait for the light bulb to turn on, but if I don’t work, I won’t have ideas. The ideas come as I work and the little challenges or mistakes [along the way] lead to a different way of doing things or a different aesthetic. That’s when it becomes interesting,” d’Aboville said.
One of her most well-known art installations is “Giant Dandelions” which she initially created for iLight Singapore, Asia’s Leading Sustainable Light Festival, in 2014. “Prior to Dandelions, my other large-scale piece was the Coral Garden, where I recycled thousands of cocktail stirrers for the installation. It wasn’t the easiest material to work with. I felt I needed a material that was more accessible, easier to work with, and could collect much quicker, at a higher volume,” d’Aboville explained. “It was evident that the object I had to work with was the water bottle because it’s everywhere. Everybody uses it; you drink and then you throw it. For me, it was a symbol of our consumerist society. I just played with it and saw what I could do with it. By cutting, accumulating, and weaving [the bottles] together, I ended up with this sphere that reminded me of a dandelion. The material dictated the shape.”
“Giant Dandelions” makes use of LED lights and disposable water bottles sourced from the ocean and landfills to create large, ethereal “dandelions” of light. It continues to awe and inspire, as its latest iteration continues to be exhibited in different countries and venues. In the span of 10 years, d’Aboville has collected and recycled close to 30,000 water bottles for the installation. The installation has been exhibited around the world, in countries such as Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland. It was recently on display at the Ayala Malls Circuit for Art Fair Philippines’ 10 Days of Art initiative last February to March.
“I go with the flow. I don’t push too hard. I see where it [the work] will take me. It’s the same with the textiles and pleating technique. Whether it’s abaca or raffia, the weight is different and the pleats are different, as well. Whatever works, that’s the direction I follow,” d’Aboville said. As she works with, rather than against, the materials, the result is artwork that feels organic and a genuine extension of the natural world.
Read more about Olivia d’Aboville in MEGA’s April 2025 issue now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photography by JERICK SANCHEZ. Creative direction by BRIE VENTURA. Production JONES PALTENG. Styling GENO ESPIDOL assisted by JIA TORRATO. Sittings Editor STEF JUAN. Makeup NADYNNE MARIE ESGUERRA. Hair PAT TY CRISTOBAL. Photography Assistants KARL RIMANDO AND DAVE ORPILLA.
