THE INTERPRETATION, TRANSPORTATION AND IMMIGRATION SERIES
This series depicts those who migrated to the Americas in search of new beginnings. The work highlights the complications of documentation and acceptance that force immigrants to negotiate a world of shadows. The pieces feature people from Mexico, China, Puerto Rico and Haiti hard at work, both earning a living and navigating a complex system.
The mixed-media collage employs newspaper articles to capture stories of why and how people migrate to other parts of the world. The composition of the articles creates a chessboard representing the political game of migration, manipulating pawns in a world of winners and losers. The journey continues.
This series depicts those who migrated to the Americas in search of new beginnings. The work highlights the complications of documentation and acceptance that force immigrants to negotiate a world of shadows. The pieces feature people from Mexico, China, Puerto Rico and Haiti hard at work, both earning a living and navigating a complex system.
The mixed-media collage employs newspaper articles to capture stories of why and how people migrate to other parts of the world. The composition of the articles creates a chessboard representing the political game of migration, manipulating pawns in a world of winners and losers. The journey continues.
Y SERIES
The first sculpture in this series, Y Despair, speaks specifically to finding meaning in the midst of tragedy. The piece serves as a reminder of the importance of living and moving forward, even during the deepest despair. Pacheco is currently working on the second sculpture in the series, Y Be, which poses questions of identity and inquires into the significance of self-expression. Planned pieces in the series include Y Blue, a meditation on self-reflection, and Y Mom, a private commission paying homage to the client's mother.
The first sculpture in this series, Y Despair, speaks specifically to finding meaning in the midst of tragedy. The piece serves as a reminder of the importance of living and moving forward, even during the deepest despair. Pacheco is currently working on the second sculpture in the series, Y Be, which poses questions of identity and inquires into the significance of self-expression. Planned pieces in the series include Y Blue, a meditation on self-reflection, and Y Mom, a private commission paying homage to the client's mother.
CARVING WITH PENCIL
This series sets out to prompt a rethinking of how the public relates to sculpture. The pieces are designed to pose questions like, how does one view and interpret a ritual mask exhibited in a museum? Does it hold the same ritual power for the viewer as it once did when the object was in use? What is the relationship between Africa and the Diaspora? How do people of African descent in the Diaspora imagine their relationship to the continent? By incorporating images of African sculpture from different geographic regions as well as objects with various uses (ceremonial, ritual, or daily), Pacheco brings discrete styles of art and objects into conversation with one another, effectively reframing the boundaries placed on art and images of Africa.
TOTEM SERIES
The sculptures in this series speak to contemporary issues affecting people of Africa and the African Diaspora. Each piece links the experiences and living conditions of current generations to those of the past, highlighting big business, brand power, and the growing influence of the West as sources of contemporary oppression. The use of the Coca Cola wave throughout the series represents both the commodification of cultures and identities and the connection between Africa and her Diaspora. Tellingly, the wood used for the sculptures in this series was collected in New York, the Caribbean and South Africa, yet the material is indigenous to Africa, England, Puerto Rico, Australia, India and many other parts of the world.
Silence, one of the pieces in this series, depicts an individual with a covered mouth, bound head and barcode on the back of the neck. The piece speaks to the silencing effect of the culture’s increased reliance on particular products and lifestyles. Another piece, Blinded, depicts a figure covering one eye, with a cuff around the neck and a barcode on the back of the neck. The sculpture represents how impoverished, unhealthy, and overcrowded communities are pacified and rendered blind by their access to particular goods. In both pieces, the barcode signifies the treatment of these individuals as unthinking, unfeeling products that can be bought and sold.
The sculptures in this series speak to contemporary issues affecting people of Africa and the African Diaspora. Each piece links the experiences and living conditions of current generations to those of the past, highlighting big business, brand power, and the growing influence of the West as sources of contemporary oppression. The use of the Coca Cola wave throughout the series represents both the commodification of cultures and identities and the connection between Africa and her Diaspora. Tellingly, the wood used for the sculptures in this series was collected in New York, the Caribbean and South Africa, yet the material is indigenous to Africa, England, Puerto Rico, Australia, India and many other parts of the world.
Silence, one of the pieces in this series, depicts an individual with a covered mouth, bound head and barcode on the back of the neck. The piece speaks to the silencing effect of the culture’s increased reliance on particular products and lifestyles. Another piece, Blinded, depicts a figure covering one eye, with a cuff around the neck and a barcode on the back of the neck. The sculpture represents how impoverished, unhealthy, and overcrowded communities are pacified and rendered blind by their access to particular goods. In both pieces, the barcode signifies the treatment of these individuals as unthinking, unfeeling products that can be bought and sold.
RAICES SERIES
The Raíces series was specifically inspired by what Pacheco terms the archeology of self. Spanish for “roots,” the word raíces evokes the artist’s search for his origins, a quest that led to the development of pieces including Mother Nature and Family Support. This search ultimately grew into an understanding of cultural roots and heritage, inspiring the creation of pieces such as Jíbaro, honoring the traditional farmer of Puerto Rico, and Nature’s Lesson, depicting a person holding a book. The book can be interpreted as a book of memories, histories or futures, reminding the viewer of his relationships to others and to nature. The base of each sculpture in the series is set in a clay pot, highlighting the balance between nature and the urban environment.
The Raíces series was specifically inspired by what Pacheco terms the archeology of self. Spanish for “roots,” the word raíces evokes the artist’s search for his origins, a quest that led to the development of pieces including Mother Nature and Family Support. This search ultimately grew into an understanding of cultural roots and heritage, inspiring the creation of pieces such as Jíbaro, honoring the traditional farmer of Puerto Rico, and Nature’s Lesson, depicting a person holding a book. The book can be interpreted as a book of memories, histories or futures, reminding the viewer of his relationships to others and to nature. The base of each sculpture in the series is set in a clay pot, highlighting the balance between nature and the urban environment.