| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dara Katrina Del Rosario Communications Director [email protected] |
SOMArts’ Día de Los Muertos exhibition Bearing Witness
is an “expression of solidarity, love, and justice” for Palestine
Curated by Rio Yañez and Bridgètt Rex
On view October 12–November 8, 2024
September 16, 2024, San Francisco, CA – Now in its 25th year, SOMArts’ annual Día de Los Muertos exhibition is one of the most internationally diverse Day of the Dead celebrations in the United States. Founded by beloved San Francisco artist and curator René Yañez, Día de Los Muertos at SOMArts merges traditional altars with contemporary installations, continuing to be a multigenerational gathering of remembrance while affirming the importance of arts & culture in shaping our worlds.
Continuing the legacy of René’s work are co-curators Rio Yañez and Bridgètt Rex who envision a Day of the Dead presentation that celebrates the holiday’s Mexican roots while calling for all cultures around the globe to honor the dead together in solidarity.
As the world watches and responds to the genocide of the Palestinian people, Bearing Witness: An Expression of Love, Solidarity, and Justice with the People of Palestine reflects on the impact of this ongoing trauma on personal, national, and international levels. In the Bay Area, 400 artists signed a solidarity letter with the Palestinan Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) last November, and artists have continued to use their platforms to raise crucial funds for Gaza, facilitated teach-ins, and mounted installations connecting Palestinian liberation with “Indigenous liberation, and liberation struggles for all other oppressed peoples.” Bearing Witness doesn’t exist in isolation, but rather, is part of a larger legacy and movement calling for global solidarity. In alignment with the tradition of Día de Los Muertos, the exhibition also showcases altars dedicated to personal loved ones who have passed.
Participating artists center creation as resistance by exhibiting traditional and contemporary altars and installations that honor, celebrate, and mourn Palestinian livelihood and culture. By painting vignettes of Palestinan life with the arches of the Gaza airport, a symbol for freedom of flight and life before it was destroyed by the IDF in 2001, Ren Allathkani memorializes the tender connection Palestinians have to their land, the indigenous practices that are withheld from them, and the promise of a free Palestine. Allathkani’s installation incorporates tareez, a centuries old art form “Palestinian women and girls decorated their thobe with symbols of history, memory, and place,” as well as painting on jobelan, a fabric used for Palestinian embroidery.
Dania Cabello, a Liberatory Play Practitioner and former professional soccer player, will be creating an installation using 600 soccer balls, each gifted by a community members throughout the Bay Area in honor of those in the afterlife. Despite the destruction and violence inflicted onto them, the world still catches glimpses of Palestinan children and adults at play–from playing soccer amidst the rubble, using telephone wires as wings, breakdancing in the dust, and singing in their tents. Cabello’s installation understands their play as an expression of survival and resistance.
The exhibition’s unveiling and opening reception will be held at SOMArts on Friday, October 11, 6–9 PM. Along with the evening’s program and Día de Los Muertos artist market featuring local vendors and makers, SOMArts will be raising funds for the René Yañez Legacy Fund, which will go toward supporting emerging regional artists and caring for the SOMArts’ garden that was started by René. The opening reception is $15 suggested donation with no one turned away for lack of funds.
Additional programs include a Día de Los Muertos drag show curated and hosted by Per Sia on Friday, October 25, 8–9:30 PM PST. Featuring beloved Bay Area drag performers exploring the body as altar, this program sells out every year. The exhibition wraps with a closing reception on Friday, November 8, 6–9 PM PST.
SOMArts’ 25th annual Día de Los Muertos exhibition embodies the spirit of René Yañez, who ensured that each show reflected the current state of the world and honored those lost to profound acts of violence. “We hope guests feel inspired to process their profound grief and reflect on the hope that many of these installations are grounded in. We want to create a sense of urgency but also a space of comfort, care, and unity in confronting genocide,” says co-curator Bridgett Rex.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS
2AM
Adrian Arias
Alicia Cruz
Athena Sabaria and Ariana “AZ” Zhang, featuring Queer Ancestors Project artists
Becca Rodriguez
Beth Benson and Virdell VonDella
Dania Cabello
David Tafolla
Jos Sances and MECA
La Familia Brown
Mary Jhun
Optimus Volts
Ren Allathkani
Sen Mendez
Susana Aragón
Valeria Olguín and Alfredo Olguín Jr.
Victor-Mario Zaballa
Yaffa AS
Zedekiah Gonsalves–Schild
CURATOR
Rio Yañez
Bridgett Rex
ACCESSIBILITY
SOMArts is wheelchair accessible and in proximity to several nearby public transportation stops. SOMArts does not have automatic doors at its Main Entrance. Restrooms are ADA-accessible and low-scent cleaning products are used.
For more detailed information regarding accessibility at SOMArts, contact [email protected] with any related requests, questions, or concerns.
GALLERY HOURS
Thursday, 3:00–7:00 PM
Friday, 12:00–7:00 PM
Saturday–Sunday, 12:00–5:00 PM
CALENDAR LISTINGS
Gallery entry and exhibition programs are free, all ages unless otherwise noted; Eventbrite RSVPs are highly encouraged.
Día de Los Muertos 2024
Bearing Witness: An Expression of Love, Solidarity, and Justice for the People of Palestine
Exhibition Run
October 12–November 8, 2024
SOMArts’ annual Día de Los Muertos exhibition merges traditional altars with contemporary installations, continuing to be a multigenerational gathering of remembrance.
To learn more, visit: somarts.org/bearingwitness
Bearing Witness Exhibition Unveiling
Friday, October 1 1, 6–9 PM PST
$15 suggested donation
Exhibition unveiling features Día de Los Muertos artist market highlighting local vendors and makers, curatorial remarks, and more!
To RSVP, visit: bearingwitnessopening.eventbrite.com
Día de Los Muertos Drag Show
Friday, October 25, 8–9:30 PM PST
$15 suggested donation
Día de Los Muertos inspired drag show with performances by beloved San Francisco and Bay Area queens and kings exploring the body as altar. More to be announced!
To learn more, visit: somarts.org/bearingwitness
Bearing Witness Closing Reception
Friday, November 8, 6–9 PM PST
$12 suggested donation, NOTAFLOF
Closing celebration and last chance to Día de Los Muertos 2024: Bearing Witness.
To learn more, visit: somarts.org/bearingwitness-closing
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ABOUT SOMARTS CULTURAL CENTER
SOMArts Cultural Center, founded in 1979, cultivates access to the arts within the Bay Area by collaborating with community-focused artists and organizations. Together, we engage the power of the arts to provoke just and fair inclusion, cultural respect, and civic participation.
SOMArts plays a vital role in the arts ecosystem by helping activate the arts citywide. We do this by providing space and production support for non-profit events, as well as fairs and festivals throughout the Bay Area, and offering a robust program of art exhibitions, classes, events, and performances that are affordable and accessible to all. SOMArts’ exhibition programs receive critical support from the San Francisco Arts Commission and San Francisco Foundation, and are sponsored in part by a grant from Grants for the Arts.
SOMArts is located at 934 Brannan Street—between 8th and 9th—within 2 blocks of 101, I-80, Muni lines, and bike paths. For public information call 415-863-1414 or visit somarts.org. Stay connected by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.