Issue:

October 2022

Rodrigo Reyes Marin (photography) & Nahomi Moriyama (graphic artwork)

Oct. 1 - Nov. 4, 2022

Catholic Mourning. A portrait of La Catrina wearing a purple traditional dress (from the State of Jalisco) which represents Catholic mourning during the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico.
Poinsettia bouquet. La Catrina wearing poinsettia bouquet featuring flowers originally from Mexico. 
White Cloud Calamintha portrait. A portrait of La Catrina wearing White Cloud Calamintha flowers.

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition celebrated from October 31 to November 2 that honors the deceased . This conception of celebrating death originated as a syncretism between the Catholic celebrations (from Spain) and indigenous celebrations (from Mexico).

Centuries later, the fictional character of La Catrina or Calavera Garbancera was added, created by the Mexican illustrator Juan Guadalupe Posada and popularized by the famous Mexican painter Diego Rivera. This character represents the hypocrisy of society towards a sector popularly known as chickpeas, that is, people with indigenous blood who claimed to be Europeans, denying their culture and roots. On the other hand, it also represented the demystification of death.

Our exhibition aims to publicize this celebration through 23 images of Catrinas and Catrines, representing elements of the offering and the conception of the Day of the Dead, Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO), since 2008.

Queen Catrina and butterfly. A portrait of La Catrina with a crown of roses and a butterfly on her hand.
The food on the altar. This photo represents the food as an essential element on the altar during the Day of the Dead celebrations.
Dear pets. A portrait of La Catrina with a cat and parrot as her pets. During the Day of the Dead celebrations, October 27 is set for the spirits of pets.
About us:
Rodrigo Reyes Marin and Nahomi Moriyama

Rodrigo Reyes Marin is a Mexican photojournalist who has been based in Tokyo since 2008. In Mexico, he worked for print and electronic media. After coming to Japan in 2011, he started collaborating with photo agencies in Japan and abroad, such as AFLO, ZUMA Press, etc.

Published book: Mexicans in Toronto The history of Immigrants, Publishing House Endira (2011), Mexico, (Spanish book).

Nahomi Moriyama is a graphic designer specializing in photo retouching with 25 years of experience. She was born to Japanese parents in Uruguay, and thanks to a JICA scholarship (at age 22), she moved to Japan, where she studied graphic design in Hokkaido. Nahomi is an Ikebana teacher, and thanks to her previous experience in painting, she learned and practiced Catrina makeup for five years, to later undertake - together with Rodrigo - the photographic project: The Catrinas of Japan. Nahomi works for a jewelry company as a professional retoucher.

R&N Photography
The result of joint work between the photojournalist Rodrigo Reyes Marin and the graphic designer Nahomi Moriyama in 2021. Together they produce the annual project: The Catrinas of Japan.

The Day of the Dead (The Catrinas of Japan) poster

Bruce Osborn / FCCJ Exhibition Chair