28 Aug Offrenda for Those Who Died on the Road, 1997

Offrenda for Those Who Died on the Road, 1997
Mixed Media Installation
84″ x 64″ x 31″
Dismantled

This altar was assembled for a Dia de los Muertes show at Jaqueline Ross Gallery. The central image above the table is wood, with slate carved into the shape of headstone; broken mirror, steel skeletal figures, flowers, a piece of steel balustrade from New Orleans’ French Quarter, photos and car parts. Arrayed around that are antique postcards of cemeteries. Skulls and crosses cut from tin cans hang from the wall piece.

The table is wood, covered in license plates (all, curiously, with the same exact numbers and letters, spanning many years and with more than two of some years. I think they were samples?) An antique hub cap is centered on the table. Below, a rusted and wrecked toy car that has run over a tricycle. Surrounding this, tin can luminaries with candles and a sign that reads “Please, No parking, Funeral.)