 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
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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. Here are more photos of my solo exhibit, Fragmentos: Pilar Acevedo, which was curated by the incredibly talented, Dolores Mercado, Associate Curator of the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Illinois. The exhibit ran from January 16, 2014 through July 13, 2014. I am extremely honored to have exhibited at this fabulous museum because: Today, the National Museum of Mexican Art stands out as one of the most prominent first-voice institutions for Mexican art and culture in the United States. We are home to one of the country’s largest Mexican art collections, including more than 7,000 seminal pieces from ancient Mexico to the present. Here is a sneak preview of some of my art, which will be in Fragmentos: Pilar Acevedo. This exhibit, which was curated by Dolores Mercado, will be at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago through July 13th, 2014. There will be a formal opening on Thursday, January 16, 2014, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm; however, it will open to the public on Thursday, December 26, 2013. It is important to note that the formal opening on January 16 will be for three different exhibits: Galería sin Fronteras, As Cosmopolitans & Strangers, and Fragmentos. I hope to see you there! National Museum of Mexican Art 1852 West 19th Street Chicago, IL 60608 Phone: 312-738-1503 Hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.; closed on Mondays and on major holidays   University Park, Illinois, February 16, 2012 – The Visual Arts Gallery at Governors State University will present “Ways of Making: Painting” from March 9 through 30. The exhibit will feature the artwork of 25 painters, all women, in recognition of the 25th year of Women’s History Month. A closing reception celebrating the artists will be held on Wednesday, March 28, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.
Gallery Director Jeff Stevenson and Guest Curator Dolores Mercado, of the National Museum of Mexican Art, invited artists who represent a diversity of working styles, career stages, and subject matter. “This exhibit seeks to enhance the classroom experience for our students as well as provide a wonderful cultural experience to our extended and growing community outside of the university,” said Stevenson. The exhibit includes the work of Pilar Acevedo of Chicago, Lynn Basa of Chicago, Jennifer Cronin of Chicago, Jessica Freudenberg-Segal of Chicago, Esperanza Gama of Chicago, Paula Henderson of Chicago, Juliette Herwitt of Forest Park, Laura Kina of Chicago, Vera Klement of Chicago, Sarah Krepp of Evanston, Judy Ledgerwood of Oak Park, K. A. Letts of Ann Arbor, MI, Bernell Loeb of Oak Park, Sioban Lombardi of Chicago, Rosanna Mark-Andreu of Chicago, Renee McGinnis of Chicago, Betty Ann Mocek of Chicago, Elsa Muñoz of Chicago, Martina Nehrling of Chicago, Joyce Owens of Chicago, Miriam Socoloff of Chicago, Sue Sommers of Evanston, Erin Waser of Chicago, Maureen Warren of Chicago, and Kathleen Waterloo of Chicago. “Ways of Making: Painting” is the third in a series of exhibitions that highlight the art making practices taught in GSU’s art program. Previous exhibits focused on the ways of making work on paper and photography. Additional exhibits will explore the intricacies, methods, and some of the secrets of artistic creativity in other media such as sculpture and digital art. Governors State University is located at 1 University Parkway in University Park. The Visual Arts Gallery is open Mondays and Wednesdays, from 5 to 7 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 1 to 9 p.m.; Fridays, from 5 to 9 p.m.; and by appointment. For more information, call (708) 534-4021or visit www.govst.edu/gallery. |
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