Allegra Pacheco is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Escazú, San José. A painter, photographer and film director, Pacheco finds expression across various mediums, including sculpture, installation, and paintings, reflecting her curiosity for materials and their tactile possibilities.

Her abstract paintings evoke bold, vivid organic forms reminiscent of Costa Rica’s natural beauty. In contrast, Pacheco’s intense fighter series, stemming from her recent commitment to combat sports, channels passion and intensity. Close-up images of bloodied female faces, almost abstract in nature, starkly confront the viewer with the raw and visceral nature of the sport. The juxtaposition of beautiful red and pink tones against the blood and skin references the duality between feminine beauty and the grit of combat. In another of her fighting series, Pacheco depicts abstract blurred fighters against black backgrounds, capturing both a moment in time and the dynamic movement intrinsic to the excitement of a fight. She also creates cartoon-like paintings, offering glimpses into the ring with simple, loose figures representing fighters and a chaotic crowd, or presenting intense brawls with figures pared-down to essential forms and often reduced to mere outlines.

In 2021, Pacheco debuted in the documentary film arena with “Salaryman”, a powerful exploration of blue-collar Japanese businessmen. The documentary won Best Documentary at the Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival.

Having studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York and Wimbledon College in London, Pacheco has enjoyed artist residencies and has exhibited worldwide from Japan to Europe and America, including at the MoMo gallery and Another Space in Tokyo and at LAMB Arts and London New Castle in London. Her work has been exhibited widely across Costa Rica, including most recently a solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in San José. Pacheco’s first photography book “88 days in Japan” was published in Tokyo in 2013.