“Rooted in Tradition”
Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, through Sun 10.
from Timeout Chicago
The altar on display here for Chicago police officer Eric Solorio, who was killed earlier this year while on duty, has the traditional elements used in celebrating the Mexican Day of the Dead: food to feed the soul on its long journey (tamales), something to drink along the way (Patrón tequila) and personal items so the dead know they are remembered (shoes, a Loyola mug, a toy police car and a video montage).
The holiday is rooted in an ancient Aztec tradition that was combined with the Christian holidays All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day to save it from eradication by invading Spaniards. Solorio’s memorial shows the way time continues to round the edges off of the ceremony by incorporating a flat-screen monitor and a Starbucks cup.
In a separate room, an altar for Michael Piazza, a local artist who also passed away earlier this year, was assembled by his friends at Polvo, the nearby art collective and gallery space, who take a more creative approach. Touching on one of Piazza’s favorite sayings (“You spend the first half of your life groovin’ and having fun…and the second half looking for a good mattress”), they put a mattress on top of a bed of his favorite books. It’s far more warm and engaging than a tombstone or a starchy wake.
This exhibit features other altars as well, alongside paintings and sculptures that explore the holiday’s other elements, predominantly skulls and skeletons.—Josh Tyson
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