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Rick Castro is the curator and owner of Antebellum Gallery in Hollywood, CA. Dia de los Muertos !Erotica! was a pioneering exhibit held in November 2007 presenting erotic interpretations of Dia de los Muertos.
Toxtle, Untitled, 2007. Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches. Courtesy of Antebellum Gallery.Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a traditional Mexican holiday that celebrates and honors the dead through colorful expressions in art, costumes, music, food, dance, and drink. It’s an important annual event culminating in “una fiesta en el cementerio” (a party in the cemetery.)
Among the cultures of Mexico–where the tradition originated–this observance has ancient Aztec and Mesoamerican roots, and is a national holiday. The Day of the Dead is also celebrated to a lesser extent in other Latin American countries; for example, it is a public holiday in Brazil–where many celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. This holiday is also observed in the Philippines. Observance of this ancient tradition has spread to Mexican-American communities in the United States as well. Similarly themed celebrations also appear in some Asian and African cultures.
The subject matter may be considered morbid from the perspective of mainstream Anglo-American culture. In contrast, Latin celebrants typically approach the Day of the Dead joyfully. Though this festival occurs at the same time as Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls Day, the traditional mood is much brighter in tone with an emphasis on celebrating and honoring the lives of the deceased together with celebrating the continuation of life in a different form or realm. The core belief is not that death is an absolute end and personal extinction, but rather that death marks the beginning of a new stage of spiritual growth.
This exhibition was the first to ever exhibit erotic interpretations of Dia de los Muertos. The gallery reached out beyond the Latino community, inviting artists of all backgrounds, nationalities, and faiths to share their interpretations of this predominately Latin tradition–sexuality and death–which some religions have stigmatized, exploited, or viewed very differently for thousands of years.
