Artist Statement:
La Catrina herself emerges in full regalia. Her sugar skull visage, adorned with intricate silver patterns and rhinestone details, represents Culture as Knowledge—each decorative element carrying forward centuries of culturally rooted understandings about death as transformation rather than ending. The elaborate gown, heavy with crystal beadwork and vibrant orange marigold ruffles, speaks to A Future We Shape—where traditional Día de los Muertos imagery commands luxury spaces and high art galleries. Her companion horse, painted in vibrant orange florals against deep teal, becomes a living altar celebrating the beauty found in honoring those who came before. This is Healing in Community embodied—the Day of the Dead tradition itself being our ancestors’ gift of collective grief transformed into celebration, where death becomes a bridge rather than a barrier.
