Bruno Pacheco

Bruno Pacheco (1974, Lisbon) lives and works in Lisbon and London. His academic background includes a degree in Fine Arts - Painting, held at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Lisbon, followed by a degree (1996-1999) and a Masters in Fine Arts (2003-2005), which he completed at Goldsmiths College, London. Bruno Pacheco's career was recognised with scholarships from the Poskett Family Fellowship, London, 1999-2012; Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 2000-2001; and awarded the Red Mansion Prize, London, 2004, and the Latin Union Prize in 2005. In 2002, he joined the Slow Motion project, 1st and 2nd parts, at the then ESTGAD, Caldas da Rainha, and the FCG, Lisbon.

A virtuoso painter, Pacheco questions the relationship between photography and painting, reflecting on the spread of images in contemporary society, their impact on visual memory and the construction of identities. The artist collects images - digital, photographic, press - in his personal archive and has been working on recurring motifs, such as the important series of paintings begun in 2004 and dedicated to groups. By identifying a potential for subjectivity in the records of groups that voluntarily pose for the camera, as the title of the work We did it, it's true (2008) underlines, the artist subverts the desire for identification associated with the portrait, creating pictorial veils that turn the image more complex. This approach is mediated by light colours, which confer a nostalgic atmosphere, following new directions with the Shoreline (2009-2012) and Three Stripes and a Cloud (2011) series where the abstractive treatment of the landscape stands out. Bruno Pacheco's work also includes video (Self-portrait smoking without the aid of the hands, 2002), objects (A Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow, 2008-09; The Possible Ball, 2009) and books (Belen's Hat, 2011-12).

Of the various exhibitions he has shown, we highlight the individual ones at Galeria Módulo, Lisbon 1998; All Together, at Culturgest Lisboa, 2007; ainda não, Culturgest Porto, 2009; Bruno Pacheco Mar e Campo em três momentos, Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, 2012; red was the tone, Galeria Filomena Soares, 2016; and Vaivém, Quadrum, 2018. His work is represented in public and private collections. 

 

RS, setembro 2020