I posted a couple new pieces of art, one inspired by Oppenheimer and the other by old horror films.
Paid a visit to Hollywood Forever to experience Dia De Los Muertos. Overwhelmed with the beauty and respect for people’s loved ones. Especially so by the altars dedicated to pets. See more photos here.
On that same weekend, I met someone from Oaxaca who told me she and her town grew up doing something called “limpiar sus huesos.” It’s the practice of caring for the bones and bodies of loved ones who’ve passed on. The stories won’t get a lot of traction for the reason that it confronts death head-on, literally by showing people cleaning the remains of someone they’ve loved. You can read more here.
To my Western-influenced upbringing, where death is the end and permanent removal of someone from life, it was initially deeply distressing. After sitting with it, it struck me as a profound act of love and that the Western view of death is unnecessarily impoverished. Those who’ve passed on aren’t forgotten, they’re just shifted to another part of everyone’s lives. Death and parting from someone physically is sad, but it doesn’t have to be as hard as we make it.
I’ve long held a belief that the love and connection we share with others exists independently of space and time, but seeing it manifested in such a way only enriches that viewpoint.