Bacongo VI
- Artist: Pacita Abad
- Date: 1986
- Medium: Acrylic paint, silkscreen, plastic buttons, mirrored glass, wool, ribbons, thread and textiles on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 2705 x 1548 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is “Bacongo VI” by Pacita Abad, created in 1986. The work is part of her Bacongo series that celebrates the Bantu peoples of Central Africa. Abad drew inspiration from the bifwebe face masks used by the Songye and Luba in ritual ceremonies. She flattened the rounded masks, stretched them onto canvas, then stuffed and stitched them, creating a sculptural, quilt‑like surface. The piece is alive with bright acrylic swaths, silkscreen patterns, and a splash of reflective glass, mirrored in the mirrored glass and scattered plastic buttons that catch the light. Threads, wool, ribbons, and textiles weave in as decorative accents, turning the canvas into a playful, three‑dimensional mask. The work was gifted to the collection by the artist’s estate in 2019, a testament to Abad’s lifelong exploration of cultural narratives through color and texture.
See it in person
Bacongo VI is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
