January 31, 2010 to May 16, 2010

For more than two decades artist David Mecalco has sold hand-painted devotional images (retablos) from a stall in Mexico City’s La Lagunilla Sunday antiques fair (commonly referred to as the Thieves’ Market).

In recent years these vibrant works—pulsing with images of the Virgin Mary, the devil, skeletons, animals, petitioners, and more—have brought him international recognition.

Traditionally, wooden or metal-backed Mexican retablos are placed in churches, shrines or home altars, and many are now commissioned as expressions of gratitude (retablos ex votos) for prayers answered.

See dozens of examples of Mecalco’s lively re-conceptualization of the art form, inspired by the realities of life in the barrios and pulquerías (saloons) of Mexico, which show a keen interest in the suffering of those marginalized or abused by mainstream society.

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www.fowler.ucla.edu
News Release Link

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Related Event:

March 14, 2010 1–4 pm
Kids in the Courtyard: Little Boxes, None the Same
At this free, drop-in workshop, create miniature worlds in little boxes made of tin and found materials, inspired by Fowler in Focus: X-Voto—The Retablo-Inspired Art of David Mecalco.

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