garden of Angels

The images show the facades and details of the graves in a section called “Garden of Angels;” in which the remains of a large number of infants, mostly under the age of twelve, are buried. These graves exhibit a series of ornaments, or decorations, made with the toys of the deceased children: iconic figures like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald, Tigger, Bart Simpson, Winnie the Pooh, Tweety, and Elmo, as well as figures of Japanese cartoons, like Pokemon, and Dragon Ball Z, also more generic toys like cars, trucks, bikes and dolls.
The mixture of these toys with the Christian iconography inherent in the Mexican graves emphasizes the aggressive, multicultural, transmutation of the customs of Tijuana residents. The images also depict a gradual cultural transformation, and in some cases the abandonment of the rites which are an important part of national traditions, such as the cult to death represented by religious pictures, and the offering of food and flowers.
The series consist of 15 light boxes made of aluminum with an automotive finish in pastel colors related to the toys portrayed in the picture. A video shot of a fixed plastic pinwheel spinning in a relentless loop at the mercy of the wind completes the installation.
A series of photographs arranged in light boxes representing scenes of a Tijuana cemetery.