The 1999 exhibition of works by Alirio Palacios (1944?2015) at the Museo de Bellas Artes de Caracas was the high point of this artist’s activities during the 1990s. Interviewed by the journalist Pablo Villamizar, Palacios explains that he wants to make sure that viewers understand that the exhibition showcases his print work, as distinct from his painting. He also hopes people can appreciate the subtle differences that distinguish printmaking from other techniques and make it a unique discipline in the arts. This is why the exhibition presents the printing plates he used (some of which are very large), so that viewers can get a sense of the positive/negative dynamic between plates and prints. The article provides information on concrete printing, a technique that Palacios came across in Chinese temples. This article, as well as the ones by Josefina Núñez (“Grabar siempre para pintar siempre,” 1999) and, written by Eugenio Montejo in that same year, “Alianza y magia de grabado y pintura. Alirio Palacios bajo la luz de Reverón” [ICAA digital archive (doc. no. 1155235)], can be read together with Edith Guzmán’s 1993 interview, “Alirio Palacios se propone rescatar el grabado milenario de la China” (doc. no. 1155809), when he was starting to work with woodcuts. On his return from Beijing, where he learned the technique, Palacios was unable to continue his work because of the lack of necessary materials, which were not available in the West. In 1999 he found these materials in New York, twenty-seven years after he studied the technique in China. He worked on woodcut printing during the 1990s; this article is therefore significant because it explains what ultimately happened in this important phase of his career.
[As complementary reading on this subject, see in the ICAA digital archive the article by Igor Molina “Alirio Palacios. El arte de la violencia” (doc. no. 1155701), which describes his training in the field of printmaking in Poland and China; the article by Lenelina Delgado “Alirio Palacios: El Estado tiene la responsabilidad del futuro del Centro de Diseño” (doc. no. 1155596); the article by Olga González “Regresa a sus país uno de los grabadores más importantes de América Latina” (doc. no. 1155203); the article in English by Julie Kruger “There’s another China” (doc. no. 1155219); by Yasmín Monsalve “Soy un gran aliado de mi país. Alirio Palacios expone xilografías en la Freites” (doc. no. 1155733); the review (unsigned) “La obra de Alirio Palacios llegó a Nuevo México: bajo el título de ‘Formas y espíritu’ expone 30 xilografías” (doc. no. 1155170); the article by M. A. “Los grabados chinos de Alirio Palacios” (doc. no. 1155187); and also by Eugenio Montejo “Alirio Palacios: magia y maestría del grabado” (doc. no. 1154602)].
