Ana Maria Pacheco Prints

Born in Brazil in 1943, Ana Maria Pacheco is an artist of extraordinary diversity. Her work ranges from painting and sculpture to printmaking, and draws on a wide variety of cultural references that include Brazilian folklore, classical myth, mystical Catholicism and medieval satire. Pacheco uses her source material to create works that play with the art of storytelling. She has developed a particular use of symbols, motifs and devices that combine to produce a distinctive and fantastic imagery.

This exhibition focuses on Pacheco’s work as a printmaker and brings together five sets of prints: Rehearsal 1-10 (etching, 1989), Terra Ignota 1-10 (drypoint, 1994), Gargantua and Pantagruel I-X (woodcut, 1994), Lux Aeterna I & II (drypoint, 1995) and Tales of Transformation I-V (multi-plate colour etching, 1998). In each series Pacheco has concentrated on a specific historic fable or social tradition to produce dramatic, highly charged images that illustrate the fine line between human comedy and tragedy.

The richness of Ana Maria Pacheco’s imagery is complemented by her inventive use of the medium. In her printed work Pacheco employs a variety of techniques (lithography, screenprint, etching, woodcut and drypoint) to present each image to maximum effect.

Since 1980 Ana Maria Pacheco has had a number of one-person shows and group exhibitions in galleries in Britain and abroad.  She was recently the Associate Artist at the National Gallery (1997 - 2000) - the first non-European and sculptor to hold the appointment - and was included in a group show entitled Sebastian: A Splendid Readiness For Death, 2003 at the Vienna Kunsthalle.

Image credits:
Ana Maria Pacheco: Lux Aeterna II, 1995. Drypoint.
Ana Maria Pacheco: Terra Ignota 3, 1994. Drypoint.
Ana Maria Pacheco: Tales of Transformation III, 1998. Multi-plate colour etching.