This atmospheric work by Maia Cruz Palileo is titled 'Abaniko' which is a reference to a type of hand-held fan that originated in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial rule. On this work the artist says: ⁠ ⁠ 'The figure in 'Abaniko' appears in a realm where simultaneous possibilities exist yet remain slippery and coded under the gaze of Empire. She is both emerging and receding into dense foliage. Her face is obscured from the light by her fan, which could be providing shade from bright light allowing her to see, or she could be hiding from the light so as not to be recognized. I wanted to make a painting that contained ambiguity and potential using the abaniko as a multi-tool of secret communication, obfuscation, and as a seeing aid, while simultaneously carrying the name given to an essential strike in martial arts, a quick and forceful potentially deadly blow.'⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Maia Cruz Palileo, 'Abaniko' (2022)⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #maiacruzpalileo #ghostsofempires #ghostsofempiresII #larryosseimensah #contemporaryart #artinlondon #postcolonialism #colonialism #diaspora #diasporaart