The National Museum of Mexican Art displays art from Mexican communities ranging from Chicago to Jalisco, and no exhibit shows this better than “Dia de los Muertos: A Celebration of Remembrance.” This exhibit is a beautiful display of the past, present, and future of the holiday. Each piece of art is meant to honor someone special and radiates the care that went into creating it. From classic offrendas to painted figurines, each piece shows a story of love and loss.
Upon walking into the exhibition room, guests are greeted by a towering structure. Draped in sparkling purple curtains and surrounded by bright orange marigolds sits artist Alejandro Garcia Nelo’s recreation of a túmulo, a Mesoamerican burial mound. This structure is beautifully intricate, built from five block layers and topped with a cross featuring paintings depicting death and spirituality. The base of the structure is a work of art decorated with ornate painted skulls and dripping candles.
To the left of the túmulo is a bright gold 3D painting depicting 36 skulls. The painting, “Tzompantli II,” is created by artist Ismael Vargas and shows the beauty in death. Each skull is covered in a brilliant gold luster sure to catch the eye from across the room. The skulls each have their own unique markings painted in saturated colors. Although these markings are simple, they give each skull its own personality, representing the personal nature of Dia de los Muertos.
The final artwork in the exhibit is the poignant “You Will Not Be Forgotten, Mapa for the Children Killed in Custody of US Customs and Border Protection,” by Sandy Rodriguez. In this artwork, a representation of the U.S-Mexico border is marked with seven fallen stars, depicting children who lost their lives in custody of US Customs. You can almost feel the grief emanating from the artwork.