Not a Shield, but a Weapon is a sculptural installation for Art Basel Hong Kong Encounters. It continues Abad’s interest in exploring ideas surrounding value, cultural artifacts and the political histories of the UK and Philippines. At its center is an accessory most associated with the iconography of the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher - her black leather handbag. The installation presents counterfeit reproductions of Thatcher’s handbag and, in the process, attempts to explore her legacy in the unlikeliest of places. Abad’s installation, which mimics the way counterfeit luxury goods are sold on the streets of developed cities, examines the seemingly arbitrary way that objects are valued and considers the various forces that create the impoverished reproduction – from economic policies that become destructive in its attempts at cohesion, to misguided lifestyle aspirations that are shaped by colonial legacies and capitalist diktats.
