Printmaking has become an increasingly important component of Mike Parr’s artistic practice, alongside his work as a sculptor, performance artist and draughtsman. Parr has an ongoing obsession with the self portrait as a subject, having completed thousands of studies over the past thirty years. His printmaking is often monumental in scale, as is the case with these larger than life self portraits in The Pool of Blood series. Parr’s imagery is intense and immediate, revealing little sign of hesitation in his approach to creating these images. There is a rawness to these self portraits: the etched lines bite deeply, enhancing Parr’s dynamic markmaking and adding to the overall sense of restlessness in the images.