Los Colores de la Muerte

This museum exhibition was part of 2013’s Day of the Dead Festival at California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

Los Colores de la Muerte (“The Colors of Death”) ran November 1-24 and was a colorful feast for the eyes. Vibrant paintings and photographs as well as the ornate, white clay sculptures of Catrinas — costumed skeleton figures that have become a prominent part of modern Day of the Dead observances — were featured against the dark purple and burnt-orange walls of the galleries. It included a children’s gallery of drawings that was coordinated through the Center with the Escondido School district.

This exhibit was facilitated by Crescentera, and presented by the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

Polvo Eres

35 photographs by noted photographer Mario Castillo, depicting different tombs from cemeteries in Mexico.

Las Catrinas de Cristina Rubalcava

15 paintings of Catrinas on canvas, by Paris-based artist Cristina Rubalcava. The Mexican Consulate in San Diego helped bring Rubalcava’s works from the Mexican Embassy in Paris to Escondido.

Catrinas del Siglo XXI

To complement Rubalcava’s paintings, 10 white clay sculptures of Catrinas were displayed, courtesy of IMAC, the City of Tijuana’s arts and culture department.

Altar a José Guadalupe Posada

In partnership with Universidad de Tijuana CUT, two architects from the university’s Department of Architecture, Rodolfo Ortiz Guerrero and Gloria A. Morales Mendívil, created an altar commemorating the 1913 passing of José Guadalupe Posada, the Mexican printmaker, cartoon illustrator and political satirist whose work left an indelible mark on Mexican pop culture and folk art. His prints of skulls and skeletons have strongly influenced Day of the Dead imagery, even inspiring the Catrinas that are now icons of the holiday.

The exhibition was curated by Lisette Atala-Doocy.

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