Sylvia Ji

Like I’ve mentioned before, Day of the Dead is a holiday and traditions that inspires artists in many ways, it might be the folklore following this tradition, the colors, shapes, garments or the deeper meaning behind this holiday.

Just like Jena Hoschek, Sylvia Ji is an artist inspired by Day of the Dead. This artist shows us beauty and decay, delicacy and passion in each of her pieces while depicting women in astonishingly detailed garments with remarkably cultural themes.

      

Since 2007 Sylvia Ji has been using Day of the Dead as an inspiration for her work and it doesn’t seem like she wills top any time soon. She utilizes traditional garments from different historical periods and socio-economical classes of Mexico to turn her work in to a variety of the Mexican culture and its traditions, which are depicted in every single one of her paintings.

 

http://www.sylviaji.com/

Frida and her deadly Fashion

Frida Kahlo is one of the most worldwide known Mexican artists of all time. Frida has not only inspired people because of her strength and positive attitude towards life after having so many dramatic events during her career but also through her love for her culture, which was expressed within her paintings, letters, etc. 

Frida used all the bad experiences she had in life and channeled them into her work to create amazing paintings that communicated her thoughts and feelings about different events and situations she had gone through.

Since her times (1930’s) different photographers, painters, sculptures and designers have used Frida Kahlo as an inspiration for their art. To this day Frida is a common source of inspiration and research for Mexican inspired art.

For a few years people have being focused on Day of the Day along side with Frida Kahlo. We see garments that have Mexican textiles and fabrics that evoke certain festivities with make up, hair and accessories that remind us of Kahlo. On the other hand we can see garments inspired by the clothes that Kahlo used to wear with an inclination to day of the Dead, face make up related to this holiday but still utilizing the jewelry, flowers and braids Kahlo used to wear.

          

There’s some reason people find really appealing the mix between Frida Kahlo and Day of the Dead and it doesn’t seem that this trend is going to end anytime soon either way, what’s better than this amazing blend that represents the Mexican culture in the best possible way? 

“I hope the end is joyful, and I hope never to return.” 

-Frida Kahlo

Everyday is Skull Day

For the past few years Day of the Dead has transitioned from being an annual celebration to something that we see every day in our lives.

Apparently being a holiday and a couple hundreds old tradition wasn’t enough for Día de Muertos since not only designers but people started using it as inspiration for ready-to-wear fashion, accessories, painting, sculpture, tattoos, etc. that can be seen and used in our daily lives.

                                         

This “style” is widely used by people that are in the rock’n’roll, hardcore, punk rock scene or the pin up style and other subcultures.

       

                                                                       

                               

These are some stores online that sell clothing and accessories related to Día de Muertos:

•  http://www.zazzle.com/day+of+the+dead+clothing
• http://search.hottopic.com/clothing/Day-Of-The-Dead
• http://www.cafepress.com/+day-of-the-dead+clothing
• http://www.lafuente.com/Mexican-Art/Day-of-the-Dead/
• www.inkedshop.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=dday+of+the+dead

Wearable Traditions

High fashion has being interested in the Mexican culture and its traditions for a while, especially in one of our most world-renowned artists: Frida Kahlo. 

Lena Hoschek is an Austrian designer that focuses on the female silhouette of the 1940’s and 1950’s. She focused on floral prints, magnificent and delicate fabrics, and folklore from all over the world.

She’s attentive to detail and her designs always have a progressive finish, while having the retro look showing her love to Rock & Roll and Heavy Metal.

On 2013 Lena Hoschek, inspired by Day of the Dead and Frida Kahlo created her Spring/Summer collection based on these two icons of the Mexican culture.

Hoschek not only used colorful prints and embroidery of the traditional Mexican dress from the XVII and XIX century, but decided to incorporate the aesthetic of the skull to create a collection that depicts sharp and curvy cuts, fabrics with pastel shades and dramatic embroidery with headpieces and make up.

 

 

From Tradition to Art

Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated on November 1^st and 2^nd. Day of the dead has its origins in both the Aztec traditions mixed with the Catholic observances of All Saints Days. On November 1^st (All Saints Day) we commemorate the pure souls such as kids and babies who passed away and on the 2^nd (All Souls Day) we commemorate the adults who are now on the other side.

There are several images and figures that are traditional during Día de Muertos, such as Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead), La Catrina, papel picado (perforated paper), flor de Cempazuchitl (marigold), sugar skulls, altar de muertos (altar of the dead), amongst others.

Part of the tradition of Day of the dead is to go to the cemetery to clean and decorate the graves of our love ones with some of the traditional figures of this holiday. We mark the graves of the adults with orange marigols while white orchids are left for the children. We celebrate and welcome them with the music and food they liked while spending the night at the cemetery to accompany their souls on the journey back home. 

Altares de Muerto are built in houses to honor and welcome back the dead. It is a symbolic construction of our indigenous beliefs. Altares consist in constructing platforms in which we prepare floral and food offerings to commemorate those who passed away.

La Catrina is one of the most popular images of Día de los Muertos. It represents the wealthy and elegant woman of the early 20^th century. She has evolved into a common costume for Halloween, inspiration for high-fashion garments and for fabric, print and accessories design in ready-to-wear. 

                                           

Even though Día de Muertos might seem like a bittersweet holiday that has macabre symbols, it is usually a happy holiday to remember our loved ones. It is a day where we get to remember them and celebrate all the moments that we spent next to them.

Day of the Dead has had a really strong cultural and artistic influence in several countries, awakening people’s need to know more about our native and Catholic traditions as well as utilize it as inspiration for sculpture, painting, fashion, etc.  

                         

Ryky Ramirez (2010)