LA COSECHA /
HARVESTING BONES
A GROUP EXHIBITION
FEATURING
Mariana Bolaños
Morris Wazney
Tania Iraheta
Mariana Cervera
Cesar Cordoba
Ana Raquel “Guaricha”
Curated by Día De Los Muertos Collective
Coordinated by Jess M. DeVitt
Death moves beyond absence. She collects our bones, and through her harvest, we witness new life. Here we celebrate the cycle of life and death, returning to her as she waits to devour the stars.
In the cultures and traditions of what is now Mexico, the feminine presence of death has prevailed, shifting, for centuries. Embodied in various archetypes, symbolisms, and omens, Mictecacihuatl, Lady of Mictlán, reigns between the cycles of life and death: an essential and unavoidable transmutation is she.
To celebrate life after death means recognizing these cycles as a process embedded in every season. Yet how can we honour the harvest when, increasingly again, it is disrupted by violence and injustice? The year 2020 has marked a legacy of resistance, strengthening movements fighting against environmental degradation and resource overconsumption, calling out ongoing injustice to Indigenous and Black communities, and taking a stand against heteronormative patriarchal institutions that harm womxn’s safety and agency.
The agricultural processes of reaping plants and food—such as cempasúchil flowers, grains, and beans—spread seeds for future sustenance, exemplifying the concepts and processes of reformulation and endurance, a continued evolution into different stages of existence. In similar fashion, cultivating art in memory of those we have lost strengthens our relationship with death, connects us closer to the Earth, and reminds us of the need for change and the regenerative cycles of harvest.
La muerte va más allá de la ausencia. Ella colecta nuestros huesos, los cosecha y de ellos presenciamos vida nueva. Esta es una celebración de la muerte como ciclo y de la vida misma. Regresamos a ella, mientras nos espera para devorar estrellas.
Dentro de las culturas y tradiciones en México, la presencia femenina de la muerte ha prevalecido y cambiado durante tiempo. Encarnizada dentro de múltiples arquetipos de representación, simbología y presagio, Mictecacihuatl, “Señora del mundo de los muertos Mictlan”, reina entre los ciclos de la vida y muerte: ella representa una transmutación necesaria e inevitable.
La celebración de la vida después de la muerte se centra dentro del reconocimiento de ciclos como un proceso que existe en cada estación del año. ¿Cómo podemos honrar la cosecha cuando se ve interrumpida por la creciente ola de violencia e injusticia? Este año ha marcado un legado dentro de los movimientos de resistencia contra el consumo excesivo de recursos, la injusticia a comunidades indígenas y de la Afro diáspora, y la heteronormatividad patriarcal que perjudica la seguridad y autonomía de las mujeres y personas no binarias.
El proceso orgánico de la siega y marchitez de las plantas y de la comida- ya sea la flor de cempasúchil, los granos de maíz y los frijoles- a su vez propaga semillas que dan sustento a nueva vida y fruto, dando ejemplo de cómo nuestra existencia se ve en constante reformulación dentro de múltiples etapas de existencia. De una manera similar, cultivar arte en recuerdo a la muerte y en honor a los difuntos es una forma de fortalecer nuestra relación con la muerte, nos conecta a la Tierra, nos recuerda a la necesidad al cambio y con los procesos regenerativos de cosecha.
DATES: October 29–31, 2020
OPENING: October 29: 5pm
GALLERY HOURS:
Thursday, October 29: 5pm–9pm
Friday, October 30: 3pm–7pm
Saturday, October 31: 10am–7pm
LOCATION: Peter MacKendrick Community Gallery
76 Wychwood Ave, Toronto, ON M6G 4C6
Free admission!
Mariana Cervera de la Serna
Mictlancihuatl, 2019
Seeds on wood board
48 in x 36 in
GALLERY GUIDELINES
COVID-19 Safety Protocol
The community’s safety is our highest concern. When you come to enjoy La Cosecha / Gathering of Bones in the Peter MacKendrick Community Gallery, please
wear a face mask or shield that covers your nose and mouth;
sanitize your hands when entering and when leaving the gallery
physically distance, remaining at least 2 metres/6 feet away from other visitors or staff
be patient: there will be a limit of 5 people inside the gallery at any time (your ticketed time slot will be for a 30-minute period)
To help with navigation, we will
provide hand sanitizer, emergency masks if needed, and directional signage inside and outside the gallery
have a staff member available for questions at all times
keep the gallery extra clean and tidy
Please note that we will be gathering contact information (phone number or email address) for contact tracing should that become necessary. We will not be using your details for any other purpose.