care

Carol Ann Apilado (b. Oslo, Norway) is a self-taught Ilokano weaver based in Toronto, Canada. Through her handwovens, she intertwines past, present, and future.

As a professional designer and mural artist, she recently shifted her main creative practice towards traditional Filipino weaving, where she finds deeper connection to her ancestral traditions. Inspired and moved by her grandmother’s weaving roots in Bangar, Philippines - one of the few weaving towns left in the province of La Union - she explores the symbolic role of weaving as a bridge between the unseen and seen and between the past, present and future. Carol Ann sees weaving as a universal language, transcending divides and celebrating shared stories. Her work aims to honour and remember tradition while embracing contemporary expression.

During the two years of Carol Ann’s weaving practice, she has exhibited work at Northern Contemporary Gallery (Toronto, 2022-24), the Textile Museum of Canada (Toronto, 2023), Art Museum at the University of Toronto (2024) and Alberta Craft Council (Edmonton, 2024). She is a recipient of the Crafts Projects Grant (Ontario Arts Council, 2023), the Professional Development for Artists Grant (Canada Council for the Arts, 2023) and Research and Creation Grant (Canada Council for the Arts, 2024).