HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Fetish-art gallery Antebellum will open its "Dia de los Muertos ¡Erotica!" exhibit with a reception from 6-9 p.m. Friday at 1643 N. Las Palmas Ave.
The exhibit was created in honor of the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday, which celebrates and honors the dead through colorful expression in art, costumes, music, food, dance and drink, according to the gallery's website. The holiday is observed in Mexico, other Latin American countries, parts of the Philippines and Mexican-American communities in the United States.
Curator Rick Castro said he hopes the exhibit opens the tradition to people of all nationalities, faiths and sexual orientations, and helps remove alienation and fear related to sexuality and death.
"Everyone has a fetish, whether they're aware of it or not," he told AVN Novelty Business. "By discovering and exploring our personal fetish, we learn about ourselves. Fetish is the core of who we are as human beings. It is my goal to bring fetish to the mainstream."
Castro has reached beyond the Latino community for the exhibit, inviting artists of various ethnicities, nationalities and faiths. The exhibit includes work by artists such as Raymond Sandoval, Guadalupe Posada, Toxtle, Mauro Yrigoyen Fajardo, Jack Millette Mosher, Juan Martin del Campo Jr., AJ Epstein, David G. Crocker and Ugly Shyla.
The exhibit is scheduled to run from Nov. 3-Dec. 15.
For more information, visit Antebellum.us.ms or call 323-856-0667.
Photograph: "Boda Muerto" by Rick Castro © 2007 8x10 digital fiber print
