On November 2nd and 3rd, Saturday and Sunday, the Latin America Memorial will host a grand celebration in honor of the Day of the Dead. In addition to an exhibition of altars, a gastronomic festival, and mariachi and lucha libre performances, the venue will also host 'La Fiesta de Los Vivos', the first photographic exhibition by journalist Felipe Machado .
Felipe Machado, from Viper , photographed Mexicans of all ages during the Day of the Dead parade held on November 2, 2017, on Avenida Reforma, in the central region of Mexico City. “I’ve spent the Day of the Dead in Mexico three times, and this celebration has always fascinated me. It’s very curious to see how Mexicans face death with joy, unlike the sadness it inspires in most people. Mexicans celebrate their dead by valuing life, and I think it was this paradox that attracted me when capturing the facial expressions of the Mexican people during the festivities,” says Felipe.
“When we tell people in Brazil that Mexicans celebrate death, there’s always a reaction of surprise. That’s why I wanted to show the joy on the faces of Mexicans, a people who are very similar to Brazilians. Their Day of the Dead is a mix of Carnival and All Souls' Day, which seems like a contradiction to us. For them, however, it’s natural. In Mexico, death is part of life,” says Felipe. The exhibition is located in the open space beneath the Administration building, accessible through gates 5 or 8. It is supported by the Si Señor chain of Mexican restaurants.
The Day of the Dead is one of the most representative celebrations of Mexican culture. The festival – considered an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) – brings families and communities together to honor their ancestors. On this day, the living meet with the dead to celebrate life and death through a feast of flavors, colors, and music.
Journalist, musician, and writer, Felipe Machado is the author of the books Palavra de Homem (2019), Um Lugar Chamado Aqui (2016), winner of the Best Book of the Year award for Young Adults from the National Foundation for Children's and Youth Literature (FNLIJ), Bacana Bacana – Aventuras de um Jornalista pela Copa do Mundo da África do Sul (Journalism, 2010), Ping Pong – Aventuras de um Jornalista pela China Olímpica (Journalism, 2008), nominated for the Jabuti Prize, O Martelo dos Deuses (Fiction, 2007), and Olhos Cor de Chuva (Fiction, 2002).
'La Fiesta de Los Vivos' is his first exhibition as a photographer. As a journalist, he created and directed TV Estadão, for which he directed the documentaries A Amazônia de Euclides da Cunha: Um Paraíso Perdido and 1968: Mordaça no Estadão . He has also written for the country's largest media outlets, as well as international publications such as The New York Times, Fair Observer (USA), CitizenK (France), and Vision (China), among others. Today he is the author of the blog Palavra de Homem on the R7 portal.
Felipe also has a career in music: he is the guitarist for FMSolo and VIPER, a band that has been successful in Brazil and abroad. He has played in Europe, Japan, the USA, and South America, where he shared the stage with names like Metallica and Kiss . In 2013, VIPER was one of the highlights of Rock in Rio.
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