Ana Maria Pacheco: Dark Night of the Soul

Between 1997 and 1999 Ana Maria Pacheco was the fourth artist-in-residence at the National Gallery, London. Her installation Dark Night of the Soul, which was exhibited there in 1999 and is presently touring the UK, has gained her a wide reputation as a pioneering artist for the new millennium.Pacheco grew up in Brazil where she was surrounded by a culture that was richly influenced both by the Catholic religion and by the rituals of the indigenous population. She was also aware of the modernist architecture that was introduced to Brazil from Europe in the 1930s, which stood in stark contrast to the colourful amalgam of processions, ceremonies and church art.Pacheco's suite of polychrome sculpture Dark Night of the Soul reflects all these competing influences, and translates the legend of St Sebastian into a twentieth-century context. This is the first work to trace the development of that work and its inspiration, and to document the finished piece through stunning and dramatic photography.John Hedgecoe has photographed the artist at work on the tableau, stage by stage. His images capture the stark, mysterious drama that the figures reveal. Sanda Miller's text throws light on the artist's imagination at work.