This exhibition review of work by Venezuelan artist Alirio Palacios (b. 1944) held in the United States, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, furthers knowledge of this artist. In it, the artist expresses, albeit in passing, his interest in producing the religious images on a mass scale that up to this point, he had employed only in individual works. Palacios would like such work “to be found in houses like votive images,” explaining that “these prints have a social intent.” Though that never came to pass, it indicates that the artist was interested in returning to the original purpose of prints, mainly the mass dissemination of images. The journalist even compares Palacio’s intended use of prints to their use in medieval times. Prior to this exhibition as well as after it, Palacios seemed to pursue the ideal of the individual work in both prints and plates. The exhibition in Albuquerque had been on display the year before at the Galería Freites in Caracas (see Yasmín Monsalve, “Soy un gran aliado de mi país. Alirio Palacios expone xilografías en la Freites,” in El Nacional newspaper, December 3, 1992, ICAA digital archive doc. no. 1155733).
For further reading, see Igor Molina, “Alirio Palacios: El arte de la violencia” (ICAA digital archive doc. no. 1155701) on Palacio’s training in printmaking in Poland and in China; Lenelina Delgado’s article, “Alirio Palacios: El estado tiene la responsabilidad del futuro del Centro de Diseño” (doc. no. 1155596); Olga González, “Regresa a sus país uno de los grabadores más importantes de América Latina” (doc. no. 1155203); Julia Kruger’s article in English, “There is another China”(doc. no. 1155219); and Edith Guzmán’s interview, “Alirio Palacios se propone rescatar el grabado milenario de China” (doc. no. 1155809).
