Biography
CV
Barbara Rachko, born in 1953 in Paterson, New Jersey, is a New York-based contemporary painter renowned for her masterful pastel-on-sandpaper compositions that illuminate the vivid cultural iconography of Bolivian Carnival masks. Over the past four decades, she has emerged as a pioneering force in redefining pastel as a significant medium within the fine arts. Her practice combines refined technique with cultural reverence, drawing on visual elements from Bolivian, Mexican, and Guatemalan folk traditions. With a growing international following—including over 220,000 subscribers to her blog Barbara Rachko’s Colored Dust—Rachko continues to shape discourse around the expressive possibilities of pastel art.
Rachko’s recent exhibitions further highlight her sustained artistic impact and global reach. In 2025, her works were presented at La Rupture du Désir, a critically acclaimed group show organized by Vedica Art Studios and Gallery in Paris, France, followed by Unveiling in Mumbai, India, also curated by Vedica. These presentations expanded the dialogue around her powerful visual language and its connections to ritual, myth, and identity. In 2024, Rachko was also represented by Vedica Art Studios and Gallery at the NOISE Media Art Fair in Vienna, Austria—demonstrating the evolving versatility and resonance of her practice in contemporary art circuits.
Known for her signature series such as Bolivianos, Black Paintings, and Domestic Threats, Rachko’s artworks have been exhibited in prominent solo shows across the United States, including at the Joy Pratt Markham Gallery at Walton Arts Center, Louise Jones Brown Gallery at Duke University, Olin Gallery, and La MaMa La Galleria in New York. Her artistic journey is further chronicled in the award-winning documentary Barbara Rachko: True Grit and her autobiographical ebook From Pilot to Painter. With works held in private collections worldwide and a background in photography and fine art training, Barbara Rachko continues to be celebrated as a visionary whose dedication to the pastel medium bridges tradition with innovation.
Born in 1953 in Paterson, New Jersey, USA
Resides and works in New York, USA
Selected Exhibitions
2026 Histories Unbound, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Paris, France (Group, Upcoming)
2026 Continuities without Containment, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Paris, France (Group, Upcoming)
2025 Parasitó, curated by Student Governor at Arts University Plymouth Mr. Donald Britz, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, in collaboration with the Consulate of Mexico in Mumbai, Mumbai, India (Group)
2025 La Rupture du Désir, curated by Student Governor at Arts University Plymouth Mr. Donald Britz, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Paris, France (Group)
2025 Unveiling, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Mumbai, India (Group)
2025 Global Open Studio Visit, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Global (Group)
2025 The Road to Authenticity, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Artsy (Group)
2023 Winter Wonderland, bG Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA (Group)
2023 Artists for the Cure (Breast Cancer Awareness Event), 114 West 71st Arts, New York, NY, USA (Group)
2023 Mythos, The Gallery Space, Rahway, NJ, USA (Group)
2022 The In-Between Space, Riverfront Art Gallery, Yonkers, NY, USA (Group)
2020 Lucid Dreaming, Outlander Gallery, Jersey City, NJ, USA (Group)
2019 Worlds Unseen & Seen, Westbeth Gallery, New York, NY, USA (Group)
2018 Art Without Borders, Madison, NH, USA (Group)
2018 Emillions Art, Naples, FL, USA (Group)
2017 Le Dame Gallery, London, England (Group)
2015 James Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA, USA (Group)
2011 The Black Paintings, Gallery Gray, Minneapolis, MN, USA (Solo)
2009 Out of the Black (Pastel Paintings and Photographs), New Art Center, curated by deputy editor Barbara MacAdam, ARTnews, New York, NY, USA (Solo)
2007 Gods and Monsters, Capital One Art Gallery, McLean, VA, USA (Solo)
2005 Blackstone River Gallery, Woonsocket, RI, USA (Solo)
2000 La MaMa La Galleria, New York, NY, USA (Solo)
1993 Cunneen-Hackett Art Gallery, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA (Solo)
Selected Fairs
2024 NOISE Media Art Fair, represented by Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Vienna, Austria
2023 Moon Art Fair Hamburg, The Westin Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
2021 Vasteras International Art Fair, Galleri SoHo, Vasteras, Sweden
2017 Miami River Art Fair, represented by Art Historian Dr. Barbara Aust-Wegemund, Miami, FL, USA
Grants
2012 Monograph published by MUSECPMI, The Templar Trust, New York, NY, USA
2010 Solo exhibition at HP Garcia Gallery, Midtown West Arts Association, The Templar Trust, New York, NY, USA
Selected Press
Anastasia Sukhanov, “Pastel, Passion & Perseverance” in .ART Odyssey: Healing Magazine (2026)
Carmela Brunetti & Siddhant Khattri, “Interview to the Artist Barbara Rachko” in ArtonWorld Magazine (2025)
Siddhant Khattri, “Masks, Memory, and Metamorphosis” in Parasitó eBook (2025)
Ksenia Drobyshevskaya, “La Rupture du Désir” in ArtonWorld Magazine (2025)
Artnet Gallery Network, “Mumbai’s Vedica Art Gallery is Fostering Art that Spans the Globe” in Artnet (2025) at [URL]
Siddhant Khattri, “Studio Visit x Barbara Rachko” in Viewing Room at Artsy, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery at [URL]
Haleigh Overseth, “Bold Pastels & Grit” in Franki’s Open Mic Podcast (2025)
Employment Head at Arts University Plymouth, Louise Sharland, “Webinar: Creative Mischief”, works featured, (2025)
Siddhant Khattri & Deepesh Moolchandani, “True Grit in Pastel” in Compounding Square (2024)
Tom May, "Making sense of loss" in creativeboom.com (2024)
John Wisniewski, "Barbara Rachko: A Contemporary Visual Artist" in Cultured Focus Magazine (2024)
The Apricus Podcast, "A Conversation with Barbara Rachko" in spotify.com (2023)
Bold Journey, "Meet Barbara Rachko" in boldjourney.com (2021)
CanvasRebel Magazine "Meet Barbara Rachko" in canvasrebel.com (2021)
Artamour, "Barbara Rachko: Flying Colours" in artamour.in (2021)
Peterdekuster, "The Heroine’s Journey of Barbara Rachko" in theheroinejourney2016.com (2020)
NYAC Studio View, "Barbara Rachko" in nyartistscircle.com (2020)
Elisa Pritzker, “From Pentagon to Painter” in ABC latino Magazine (2018)
Awards
2024 Patterns of Memory (Winner, 2nd), Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Mumbai, India
Barbara Rachko’s True Grit short documentary film
2023 Newport Beach Film Festival (Audience Award), California, USA
Architecture and Design Award (Best in Category for Art), California, USA
Fine Arts Film Festival (Honorable Mention), Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Montreal Women Film Festival (Nominee), Montreal, Canada
2015 AIR Gallery Studio Visit Lottery (Winner), Brooklyn, NY, USA
2011 Freedom to Create Prize (Nominated), Singapore
Professional Contribution
2026 Subject of Barbara Rachko’s True Grit Part 2, Short documentary film, directed by Jennifer Cox
2026 Interviewed Vice Minister of Culture, Bolivia
2026 Interviewed Mayor of La Paz, Bolivia
2023 Subject of Barbara Rachko’s True Grit, Short documentary film, directed by Jennifer Cox
2023 Member, International Association of Visual Artists
2017 From Pilot to Painter (eBook), iTunes
2014 From Pilot to Painter (eBook), Amazon
Inventor of a science for mixing pastels together to create new colors.
Promotes pastel as an important fine art medium.