Bringing worlds together: Artist Luis Contreras melds icons of Mexico, New Mexico together through La Catrina

Luis Contreras found art in middle school.

At the time, his medium of choice was painting and drawing.

“I doodled a lot,” he said. “I always had teachers that would encourage me to keep moving my art forward.”

While at University of New Mexico, Contreras made sure to take art classes and intended on getting a degree in art.

Bringing worlds together: Artist Luis Contreras melds icons of Mexico, New Mexico together through La Catrina

“Then I came to the realization through a friend that no one asks an artist for their degree,” he said. “I continued to work with my family’s business and did art when I had time.”

Contreras is currently on display at Lapis Room in Old Town with his latest show, “Mi Nuevo México: Catrina Ofrenda.”

“I never thought I would be creating Catrinas,” Contreras said. “I was drawing and doing watercolor at the time. My partner and I went to Cancun, Mexico, and we found some Catrinas. That became my art path.”

The Catrina is a figure in Mexican visual arts depicted as a lively skeleton wearing a large plumed hat associated with early 20th-century upper-class European women’s fashion.

“La Calavera Catrina (The Dapper Skeleton)” was created by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada in the early 20th century. The figure became an icon in Mexico through her popularization by artists such as Mexican muralist Diego Rivera and a traveling art exhibition during World War II.

The figure that later became known as Catrina was one of the many animated calaveras (skulls or skeletons) Posada created while working as an illustrator for the publisher Antonio Vanegas Arroyo.

The skeletons depict individuals from all classes and occupations, which scholars have interpreted as symbolic of a macabre egalitarianism, suggesting that regardless of status, death comes for all.

The first known publication of Posada’s illustration of a smiling skeleton in a large hat was several months after his death.

The figure was labeled a garbancera, or a female garbanzo bean seller, in a 1913 broadside, a single sheet of paper printed on one side that has historically been used to spread information, including news, government decisions, entertainment events and commentary.

Posada’s illustrations were unsigned and were meant to be consumed and then discarded.

With Contreras’ show, he further explores the Mexican Catrina sculpture through the lens of being raised in New Mexico.

The exhibit features 10 Catrinas.

Contreras wanted to include a New Mexico expression in each one. He took inspiration from the roadrunner, a yucca, biscochitos, curandera, La Llorona, the zia and red and green chile.

The final piece features a collaboration between Contreras and local Chicano artist, Joshua Patterson.

“Josh had reached out and wanted to do a collaboration,” Contreras said. “It was perfect timing because I had time to do one more.”

Contreras said creating the Catrina is a way to root himself deeper into his Mexican culture.

He was raised in Chilili by immigrant parents from Durango, Mexico.

“I grew up in the East Mountains and my family didn’t immerse ourselves in New Mexico or Mexican culture,” he said. “I didn’t know what Day of the Dead was. I would go with my parents back to Mexico, and they were so poor that they didn’t have the things to celebrate and never got to know it.”

Contreras continues to learn about his family history, all while adding to his legacy.

“I missed getting in touch with my roots as a child. Where my family came from and what our culture truly meant,” he said. “It is beautiful, I know there is still so much to learn, but I admit I do not feel lost. I want to continue to make art for all walks of life to enjoy. It could be in sculptures of the Catrina through my eyes, or in something as beautiful as a watercolor painting. I want to use my art to create what my words cannot.”

With his work, Luis Contreras honors the tradition of Posada’s ‘La Catrina’ while reimagining this icon of Mexican culture in a contemporary context.

“New Mexico is my home and its traditions are deeply rooted in culture and history,” he said. “From the roasted chile, the kaleidoscope of colors in October, the turquoise jewelry, the perfect biscochito and everything in between, I love it here, but still have many things to learn and explore as an artist and New Mexican.

“The Catrina is not a tradition of New Mexican culture, but I wanted to bring my two worlds together — my Catrinas invoke my love and pride for both my México and Nuevo México. Que viva Nuevo México y México!”

Contreras continues to work daily on his craft and adds his own flair to each Catrina he produces.

“It’s a reminder to live your life the way you need to be,” he said. “We’re all just skeletons. That’s a bond we all share, no matter where we come from.”