Featured Artist: Iena Crus

Location: 317 Grand st., NYC, NY, 10002.

Type: Art Exhibition.

Description: Solo show by Brooklyn-based artist from Italy, Federico Massa aka Iena Cruz, “CALACA”, at 317 Gallery from Oct 10 to Nov 6, 2015.

The show was inspired by the spirit of the Halloween season. Federico also painted the entrance gate of 317 gallery with the mural .

A CALACA (Spanish pronunciation: [kaˈlaka], a colloquial Mexican Spanish name for skeleton) is a figure of a skull or skeleton (usually human) commonly used for decoration during the Mexican Day of the Dead festival, although they are made all year round. Tracing their origins from Aztec imagery, calacas are frequently shown with marigold flowers and foliage. As with other aspects of the Day of the Dead festival, calacas are generally depicted as joyous rather than mournful figures. They are often shown wearing festive clothing, dancing, and playing musical instruments to indicate a happy afterlife. This draws on the Mexican belief that no dead soul likes to be thought of sadly, and that death should be a joyous occasion. This goes back to Aztec beliefs, one of the few traditions to remain after the Spanish conquest.