The "Day Of The Dead" Exhibit

Yesterday I drove in and out of downtown with a friend as a study break from those stressful finals. We ended up by the Union Station, where there was some sort of Mexican-culture celebration, full of shops, music and dancing. We explored around and went into a museum called “Las Plaza de Cultura y Artes.” There were many exhibits showcasing the history of Mexicans in Los Angeles, past vs. present Mexican culture, the architect of old buildings and a simulation of what Main Street looked like in the past (which was super cool).

My favorite exhibit was the “Day Of The Dead/El Dia De Los Muertos,” which comprised of many sculptural interpretations of the skull – the Mexicans’ main symbol of death. For Mexicans, death is not necessary deemed as devastating; they see death as an inevitable end of life and surprise many with how comfortable they seem to be with the idea of death. Mexicans believed in duality, so where there is day and night, there is life and death. During el dia de los muertos celebrations, they even give each other skull- and skeleton-related presents.

Jose Sacal’s sculptures capture the fascination Mexicans have with death. He takes the formal shape/perspective of the skull and warps them to reveal contemporary dimensions. Sacal fully explores the skull, deconstructs it and rebuilds it using various materials like bronze, silver or resin. He is very ambitious and unafraid in his work, and plays on Mexicans’ affinity for skulls to create sculptures that are stripped down into its core nature. His exhibit is paradoxical in a way, with intact and disintegrating pieces, and naturalistic and abstract elements.

Here are some of the photos I managed to take:

Caldo de muerto (Death soup), bronze

Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead), cermaic and electroplate

Saco de boxeo (Punching bag), bronze

Principio (Beginnings), resin

Aberraciones (Aberrations), electroplate

Armado hasta los dientes (Armed to the teeth), bronze

Hope you enjoyed!

- Jenny