Artist Yvonne Pfeiffer‘s exhibit ‘Las Calacas Reinvented‘ at the Brisky Gallery was a lovely evening of art with an introspective into the female emotion. At the opening reception earlier this month, patrons received a window into the Day of the Dead celebration, which features skeletons garnished with flowers and bright colors.
This celebration derives it’s origins from pre-Columbian America – the Aztecs revered Mictecacihuatl, a goddess watching over the dead, while the Mayan Lords ruled over Xibalba, the underworld. Their clash with Spanish Catholicism evolved into hybrid traditions, where these skeletons, ‘Calacas’, adorn alters and the painted faces of women. This skull imagery is an attempt to humor death, and yet, in it’s absence, life’s worth would be profoundly curved. Oddly enough, a “celebration of death” is but a celebration of life; this compendium of emotions validated by the great equalizer. Second to the stunning Calacas artwork was the Frida Kahlo contest and we loved the Mariachi performance too – it was a spectacular evening.
You can view the work of Yvonne Pfeiffer on display at Brisky Gallery located at 13o NW 24th Street in Miami, FL 33127 in the Wynwood Arts District.