Vivid Society NY

by M.Regan

March 16, 2025 – The Queens Museum had a ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the exhibition: Abang-Guard Makibaka (03/16/25 – 10/05/25)

Abang-guard is a collaboration between artists Maureen Catbagan and Jevijoe Vitug, both from the Philippines. Catbagan holds a BFA from SUNY Binghamton and an MFA from CUNY, while Vitug earned his BFA from St. Scholastica’s College and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. They began working together in 2017 as museum guards. Abang-guard has performed at venues like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Governors Island, and ARoS Public Atelier. Their work has appeared in group exhibitions at 601 Artspace, PS122 Gallery, and HUB-Robeson Galleries in 2023.

Artist duo Abang-guard (Maureen Catbagan + Jevijoe Vitug) explores visibility through immigration and labor in their art. In their first museum solo exhibition, they reconfigure the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair’s Philippines and New York State Pavilions to investigate the layered significance of 1965 in Filipino American labor history. Abang-guard examines how these narratives have been lived, remembered, erased, and fought for. The spirit of “makibaka,” meaning “coming together for change,” is woven into their paintings, sculptures, performances, and videos, honoring significant Filipino American sites.

Abang-guard: Makibaka is organized by Sarah Cho, Assistant Curator.

For more information: https://queensmuseum.org/

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