Latin American art exhibition at the Kumu Art Museum closes with Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations
The large-scale exhibition of Latin American art is open for the last few days at the Kumu Art Museum. Starting from today, a traditional Mexican Day of the Dead altar – ofrenda – is on display in the Kumu Atrium as part of the exhibition’s closing programme. The main events will take place on Saturday, 2 November, while the exhibition and the altar will remain open until Sunday, 3 November.
“With the exhibition of Latin American art and its accompanying programme, we aimed to open up this rich cultural space to a wider audience, through guided tours, a Latin-themed summer courtyard festival, and various lectures. The events have been well attended and the exhibition itself has been visited by 44 000 people in three and a half months, so the Latin American theme seems to resonate with the public. As the exhibition’s closing falls at the beginning of November, we thought it fitting to conclude with a presentation on Mexican Day of the Dead traditions, drawing parallels with the Estonian All Souls’ Day,” says Kadi Polli, Kumu’s director and one of the exhibition’s curators.
The Mexican Day of the Dead altar, which features prominently in the exhibition’s closing programme, can be viewed in the Kumu Atrium during the museum’s opening hours from Tuesday to Sunday. The altars are traditionally dedicated to deceased loved ones, with offerings placed there to welcome and honour them. The altar was created in collaboration with Mexican artists living in Estonia and the Embassy of Mexico in Helsinki.
Food plays an important role in the Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) tradition. On Friday, 1 November, workshops on Mexican cuisine and the food of the Day of the Dead will be led by Lisseth Pedroza Fuentes, an anthropologist and expert in Mayan food culture. On Saturday, 2 November, she will serve traditional Day of the Dead foods and drinks in the Kumu Atrium.
In addition to the Day of the Dead altar, the programme of events on Saturday, 2 November, features workshops on making paper flowers and decorating skulls. Both are important traditions associated with the Day of the Dead. The last curatorial tour of the exhibition, with curators Sirje Helme and Kadi Polli, will take place on Saturday at 1 pm. Folklore researcher Reet Hiiemäe will speak at 3 pm. about the souls’ visiting time and the life-affirming aspects of Estonian death folklore. The day will end with documentaries on Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
The exhibition History and Mystery: Latin American Art and Europe is the first time that Latin American art has been shown at such a large scale in Estonia. The exhibition is organised in collaboration with The Phoebus Foundation in Antwerp and focuses on the art relations between Latin America and Europe. The curators Sirje Helme and Kadi Polli have selected artworks from two different eras: 17th–19th-century paintings from the Spanish colonial period and 20th-century modernist works by Argentine, Colombian, Cuban, Mexican, Chilean, Uruguayan, and Venezuelan artists.
Information about the event: https://kunstimuuseum.ekm.ee/en/syndmus/finissage-of-the-exhibition-history-and-mystery-latin-american-art-and-europe/
The exhibition’s website: kumu.ekm.ee/en/syndmus/history-and-mystery-latin-american-art-and-europe/