A Sober Take on Day of the Dead
This isn’t art in La Antigua, but it’s certainly related to the celebrations LAG will be celebrating in days:
The images aren’t pretty. With the eyes of the subjects closed, the photographs could be portraits of the sleeping. Black thread lacing up the skin across a naked chest suggests something else: these are photos of the dead, interspersed with images of the living.
The grief-stricken are captured on film. So are intimate moments, from the first moments after death occurs to celebrations when the departed are fondly remembered and their souls are encouraged to witness from beyond the love and devotion that lives on.
In all cases, the Bridgehampton photographer Bastienne Schmidt hopes the images portray something other than someone else’s nightmare. Her aim is to impart the beauty and poetry she witnessed when people gathered together and shared experiences after death’s arrival forever changed the lives of survivors…
Ms. Schmidt’s photographs were taken over three years in six countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Cuba, Peru and Colombia. The images were made with black and white film using a Rolleiflex. She selected the classic camera because its bi-focal lens has a silent shutter and wouldn’t intrude upon the intimate and sometimes dangerous moments she witnessed.
Photographs from “Vivir La Muerte” are in the collections of 14 museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. The images have been exhibited around the world. The book won the 1996 Kodak Book Award.
Read the entire article published in 27East by clicking here: A lively look at the Day of the Dead in gallery.
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