DECEMBER
2008
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Quema
del Diablo
“Burning
of the Devil” Art, Music, & Procession
Exhibit Dates: December 13th through December
20th
Opening Reception: December 13,
6pm to 10pm
Procession begins at 8pm in front of the dA Gallery
Exhibition
Location: The dA Center for the Arts, 252 S Main
St., Pomona Arts Colony, CA 91766
This December, The dA is honoring a Guatemalan Catholic tradition,
“Quema del Diablo,” Burning of the Devil. The
ritual of this celebration is little known outside of Guatemala,
and people who have witnessed it won’t soon forget it.
Popular tradition holds that throughout the year, the devil
lurks in the corners and dark places of a house, weaseling
his way into old papers, unused household goods, bringing
bad luck to the home. So every December, Guatemalans clean
house and gather up discarded boxes, old newspapers, dust
from underneath the beds, and build a highly-combustible mound
in front of their homes. At 6pm on December 7, the eve of
the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the mounds are set
on fire. Onto the fire usually goes a paper-maché devil
piñata (stuffed with fireworks) to symbolize purging
evil from the home, in preparation for a new year full of
blessings. Locals say, if you came into Guatemala that night,
you would think the whole country is burning.
Rolo Castillo, curator at the dA Center for the Arts, heard
of this holiday several years ago and felt it was an artist’s
answer to the forced jolliness of the holiday season. The
unconventional nature of an artist’s lifestyle can put
them at odds with family members and loved ones at this time
of year. Celebrating Quema del Diablo with an art show offers
a way for artists to express themselves and use the symbolic
act of purification to let go of past demons and prepare for
new inspiration to settle in.
This year the dA will host two mask making workshops open
to the public, in preparation for a procession that will take
place during the December 13th Artwalk in the Pomona Arts
Colony. Savoie Hair, a high end hair design salon located
around the block from the dA Gallery, will be sending a few
models over to spice up the evening’s festivities. The
dA assures the opening reception will be an evening full of
humor and surprises.
Free Procession & Mask Making Workshop:
Thursday, Dec. 4 & 11, 7pm to 10pm
Winter Solstice Concert, Saturday, Dec.
20th 7pm |
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