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The National Museum of Mexican Art's 37th annual exhibit titled Día de Muertos, Living Presence is now open. These are a few photos of the large floral installation curated by Dolores Mercado, associate curator, which memorializes women around the world who were "violated, disappeared or murdered". I am pleased to be one of 18 artists participating in the creation of this installation. We were each given a composite board flower measuring 30" x 30" and asked to create a piece regarding a group of women or an individual woman who was a victim of gender-based violence. My piece titled She Was Banaz, was created in memory of Banaz Mahmod, a 20-year-old Iraqi Kurdish woman, who lived in South London, England prior to her murder. She was a victim of an honor killing that her father and uncle planned and her three cousins carried out; all were later convicted of her murder as a result of the testimony of Bekahl Mahmod, Banaz's older sister. For those of you who are not familiar with her story, I encourage you to watch the 2013 Emmy and Peabody Award winning film Banaz: A Love Story. As I painted the flower, I wrote a poem that is an integral part of the piece. It was inspired by Banaz’s story from articles I read and interviews I watched in Banaz: A Love Story. The poem retells her story as if Banaz were speaking to her older sister, Bekahl. The words used to describe Banaz's husband, father, uncle and cousins are not Banaz’s—she was a gentle spirit who, in the film, did not express herself harshly. I employed excerpts that were vocalized in the film, i.e., Banaz stated about her husband, “It was like I was his shoe and he would wear it just whenever he felt like it”. I also utilized "discharged my soul" because one of her cousins complained, "...the bitch's soul was not getting discharged...". And finally, I titled the poem "Orange and Yellow" because in an interview from the film, her sister, Bekhal, said about Banaz, “If she was in my life, my life would be orange and yellow”. In my flower, Banaz is the pistil—the central female organ of a flower and she is depicted in a fetal position as she was found in the suitcase in which she was buried. The pistil is orange and yellow because of what Bekahl said her life would be like if Banaz were in it. Orange and Yellow Pilar Acevedo Written 07/13/2023 If only I could have colored your life orange and yellow, sweet sister. But some disregarded my desperate pleas; others fueled their fierce ire and compelled our cousins to “discharge my soul”-- the price I paid for parting ways from a contemptuous cretin who controlled me with a fist and phallus. To him, I was not a winsome wife, but a shoe to wear when he wanted. And so, I ran for refuge-- to the two who divined me, yet wanted me dead. Their honor, more valuable than valor and I. Thus, the unimaginable unfolded. Our father and uncle demanded my demise. Our cowardly cousins complied, but with an added touch of torture-- they raped and garroted me. When they finished their demonic deed, they dumped my vacant vessel in a suitcase, and buried it in our backyard. Now, I sleep as soundly as a floating fetus in a warm womb of orange and yellow and dream of you, dear sister. I dream of what could have been and of a love that should have been. And if I could borrow the wind to whisper in your ear, I would softly say, thank you, sweet sister, for seeking justice for me. But now, it is time to release the rage and rancor and make your life orange and yellow.  This is one of Chicago's most popular exhibits and truly a wonderful cultural experience. As always, there are ofrendas as well as a variety of visual art pertaining to Day of the Dead. The following pictures are of a few pieces in the exhibit. I have also included 2 beautiful murals that are painted at the entrance and the exit of the exhibit. You will note that the Xoloitzcuintli dog, painted at the exit, played a role in Pre-Columbian life. Besides being a companion to the Aztec and Maya, this dog was also a healer and most important, a guide to the Underworld. Día de Muertos, Living Presence will be on exhibit through December 10, 2023. National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W 19th Street Chicago, IL 60608. Also, don't forget to enjoy the murals in Pilsen. These are across from the museum, but there are so many others throughout this community.
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5000 honour killings internationally per year.  The image is a peek at the flower I painted in memory of Banaz Mahmod, a 20-year-old Iraqi Kurdish woman, who lived in South London, England prior to her murder. She was a victim of an honor killing that her father and uncle planned and her three cousins carried out. These perpetrators were later convicted of her murder and in prison. This piece titled She Was Banaz, will be part of a large installation that will “memorialize women around the world who have been violated, disappeared, or murdered”. Dolores Mercado, Assistant Curator, organized the installation, which will be part of the National Museum of Mexican Art's exhibit titled Día de Muertos, Living Presence; it is the museum's 37th annual Day of the Dead exhibition .
The opening will be Friday, September 22nd from 6:00pm–8:00pm. It's a very popular exhibit and as always, a wonderful cultural experience. There will be traditional ofrendas as well as a variety of visual art pertaining to Day of the Dead. Día de Muertos, Living Presence September 22-December 10, 2023. National Museum of Mexican Art 1852 W 19th Street Chicago, IL 60608 The National Museum of Mexican Art is pleased to announce the opening of its 37th annual Day of the Dead exhibition on Friday, September 22nd in the Main Gallery. Entitled Día de Muertos, Living Presence, this year’s exhibition remembers the thousands of people who died in the February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The exhibition will also memorialize women around the world who have been violated, disappeared, or murdered, with a large installation by eighteen local artists. With flowers, food, and drinks, we await the return home of loved ones who no longer walk this Earth. Join us for the opening reception on Friday, September 22nd to experience this age-old tradition of honoring the lives of lost loved ones through captivating altars, beautiful folk art, and evocative fine art. I am grateful and honored to be one of the eighteen artists whose work will be included in the large installation mentioned above.
 Wonderful news! The book that features my work and that of 10 other Latin American female writers and artists has finally published. I am grateful to Jane Lavery and Sarah Bowskill for persevering in its publication and thanks to the National Museum of Mexican Art and Dolores Mercado, Associate Curator for giving me the opportunity for a solo exhibit in 2015. It was the work in that exhibit that lead to Dr. Sarah Bowskill writing an academic article titled Bearing Witness to Child Abuse and Trauma in Pilar Acevedo's Multimedia Fragmentos Exhibition and eventually, The Multimedia Works of Contemporary Latin American Women Writers and Artists. The book is available on Amazon. THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS:
Pilar Acevedo (Mexican-American): visual/installation artist and poet Ana Clavel (Mexico): novelist, essayist, digital/visual/installation artist and blogger Carla Faesler (Mexico): digital artist and poet Regina José Galindo (Guatemala): performance artist, blogger, poet and writer Gabriela Golder (Argentina): installation artist, video-art, curator Lucia Grossberger Morales (Bolivia): interactive digital artist and poet Jacalyn Lopez Garcia (Mexican-American): interactive digital artist and poet Eli Neira (Chile): performance artist, poet, blogger and digital artist Mónica Nepote (Mexico): poet, essayist, editor Eugenia Prado Bassi (Chile): multimedia writer Mariela Yeregui (Argentina): visual artist, educator, net.artist Sarah E.L. Bowskill, Senior Lecturer in Latin American Studies, Queen’s University Belfast Debra Ann Castillo, Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, Emerson Hinchcliff Professor of Hispanic Studies and Professor of Comparative Literature at Cornell University. Nuala Finnegan, Professor of Spanish and Director of the Centre for Mexican Studies, University College Cork. Carolina Gainza, Universidad Diego Portales Emily Hind, Professor of Spanish, University of Florida. Claudia Kozak, Professor, Department of Literature and Communication Studies, University of Buenos Aires. Jane E. Lavery, Lecturer in Hispanic Studies, University of Southampton. Thea Pitman, Professor of Latin American Studies, University of Leeds. Claire Taylor, Gilmour Chair of Spanish and Professor in Hispanic Studies, University of Liverpool. I am pleased to have been invited to participate in this year's Day of the Dead exhibit at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. The exhibit, Dia de Muertos: Living Presence, is scheduled to open Friday, September 22, 2023. In addition to the ofrendas, paintings, sculptures, and installations that are traditionally displayed in the Day of the Dead exhibits at the NMMA, 18 women were invited to participate in the creation of a wall of flowers, the brain child of Dolores Mercado, Assistant Curator of the National Museum of Mexican Art. This larger work will honor victims of gender-based violence. Each artist will choose whom to honor—an individual or a group. We were given a large scale wood composite flower influenced by a Pre-Hispanic design and we will use it to create our own piece addressing the theme as we see fit. I have chosen to honor Banaz Mahmod, a victim of an honor killing. For those of you who are not familiar with her story, I encourage you to watch a 2013 Emmy and Peabody Award winning film titled Banaz: A Love Story. I watched the film in 2021 and it compelled me to post, "It was like I was his shoe..." on this blog on July 21, 2021. As I began painting the flower in Banaz's honor, I wrote a poem and it will be included in the piece. It was inspired by Banaz’s story from articles I read and the interviews from Banaz: A Love Story. The poem retells her story, but from my perspective. The words used to describe her husband, father, uncle and cousins are not Banaz’s because she was a gentle spirit who, in the film, did not use harsh words to describe them. I did, however, use something in part from the film that Banaz said. Referring to her husband, she stated, “It was like I was his shoe and he would wear it just whenever he felt like it”. I also used the words, "discharged my soul" because in a recorded telephone call, as one of her killers boasted about killing Banaz, he used the phrase, "the bitch's soul was not getting discharged"..." Finally, exercising “artistic license”, I opted to write the poem as if Banaz were speaking to her older sister, Bekahl who was instrumental in obtaining justice for Banaz by testifying against their family in court. Orange and Yellow
Pilar Acevedo Written 07/13/2023 If only I could have colored your life orange and yellow, sweet sister. But some disregarded my desperate pleas; others fueled their fierce ire and compelled our cousins to “discharge my soul”-- the price I paid for parting ways from a contemptuous cretin who controlled me with a fist and phallus. To him, I was not a winsome wife, but a shoe to wear when he wanted. And so, I ran for refuge-- to the two who divined me, yet wanted me dead. Their honor, more valuable than valor and I. Thus, the unimaginable unfolded. Our father and uncle demanded my demise. Our cowardly cousins complied, but with an added touch of torture-- they raped and garroted me. When they finished their demonic deed, they dumped my vacant vessel in a suitcase, and buried it in our backyard. Now, I sleep as soundly as a floating fetus in a warm womb of orange and yellow and dream of you, dear sister. I dream of what could have been and of a love that should have been. And if I could borrow the wind to whisper in your ear, I would softly say, thank you, sweet sister, for seeking justice for me. But now, it is time to release the rage and rancor and make your life orange and yellow. I have been meaning to post this happy news about the book below. It features my work along with that of other Latin American women artists and writers and will be published by Boydell & Brewer in August of 2023. Thanks to Jane Lavery and Sarah Bowskill for persevering in its publication and thanks to the National Museum of Mexican Art and Dolores Mercado, Associate Curator for giving me the opportunity for a solo exhibit in 2015. It was the work in this exhibit that lead to Dr. Sarah Bowskill writing an academic article titled Bearing Witness to Child Abuse and Trauma in Pilar Acevedo's Multimedia Fragmentos Exhibition and eventually, The Multimedia Works of Contemporary Latin American Women Writers and Artists. The book can be pre-ordered for a price guarantee through Amazon. For more information, click on "Amazon" for the link.  THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS:
Pilar Acevedo (Mexican-American): visual/installation artist and poet Ana Clavel (Mexico): novelist, essayist, digital/visual/installation artist and blogger Carla Faesler (Mexico): digital artist and poet Regina José Galindo (Guatemala): performance artist, blogger, poet and writer Gabriela Golder (Argentina): installation artist, video-art, curator Lucia Grossberger Morales (Bolivia): interactive digital artist and poet Jacalyn Lopez Garcia (Mexican-American): interactive digital artist and poet Eli Neira (Chile): performance artist, poet, blogger and digital artist Mónica Nepote (Mexico): poet, essayist, editor Eugenia Prado Bassi (Chile): multimedia writer Mariela Yeregui (Argentina): visual artist, educator, net.artist Sarah E.L. Bowskill, Senior Lecturer in Latin American Studies, Queen’s University Belfast Debra Ann Castillo, Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, Emerson Hinchcliff Professor of Hispanic Studies and Professor of Comparative Literature at Cornell University. Nuala Finnegan, Professor of Spanish and Director of the Centre for Mexican Studies, University College Cork. Carolina Gainza, Universidad Diego Portales Emily Hind, Professor of Spanish, University of Florida. Claudia Kozak, Professor, Department of Literature and Communication Studies, University of Buenos Aires. Jane E. Lavery, Lecturer in Hispanic Studies, University of Southampton. Thea Pitman, Professor of Latin American Studies, University of Leeds. Claire Taylor, Gilmour Chair of Spanish and Professor in Hispanic Studies, University of Liverpool. Threes
A poem I wrote on 1/25/2020 Prone to elaborate rituals– a perfectly fastidious disease, she clasps her hands tightly, then whispers, "one, two, three". Bowing her head in deliberate silence; and crossing her mouth three times, she releases her petition upward with frankincense, pleas, and please please please.  Fragrant Smoke A year ago last autumn, on a day much like today I released him and into the ether, he went... his portrait—the one most like him, the one with the old tan hat. Among the golden fall leaves and flowers interwoven with bright scarlet raffia, his arms and his torso, I reverently wrapped. I nestled his image, within a red paper boat. Then setting the leaves and sandalwood afire, his vessel, I set afloat onto the glistening river of this small town he always called “home”. Away into the current he traveled-- under the warmth of the fall summer sun. And as I watched in the distance, a patch of red, I could see I imagined, his spirit uplifted in spirals of fragrant smoke. Alas, after 40 years plus 7, I truly released him--but only, to the God he always knew. A poem I wrote today, 11/6/2021, a year and a day after my personal farewell. Thank you, Dr. S for accompanying me.
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