Exhibitions

A monumental Mexican offering blooms in the heart of Manhattan

bonart new york - 27/10/26

New York City is preparing to celebrate Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) with an art installation that brings one of the most deeply rooted traditions of Mexican culture into the public sphere. From October 26 to November 3, North Plaza in the Flatiron Building, Manhattan, will host Flor de Veinte Petales ( Twenty Petal Flower ), a monumental offering conceived as a community altar where residents and visitors can place mementos, candles, personal items, and small tributes dedicated to their deceased loved ones.

The installation, created by Mestiz Studio, based in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in collaboration with Powerhouse Arts, from Brooklyn, offers a participatory experience that combines artisanal creation, collective memory, and cultural celebration. Its structure, inspired by the marigold flower, transforms one of the most recognizable symbols of the Day of the Dead into a large-scale sculptural presence, open to public participation.

The title of the work refers to the Nahuatl name for this flower, cempōhualxōchitl , which translates to 'flower of twenty petals'. With its characteristic orange hues and its presence on traditional altars, the cempasúchil occupies a central place in Mexican celebrations. According to tradition, its color and aroma help guide the souls of the deceased back to the world of the living to symbolically reunite with their families.

In Flor de veinte pétalos (Twenty Petal Flower) , the artisans of Mestiz Studio reinterpret this imagery through a tiered composition that reproduces the enlarged forms of flowers. The artisanal work and collaboration between the teams in Mexico and Brooklyn result in an installation conceived specifically for this site, in which the monumental scale transforms the traditional flower into a collective meeting point.

The proposal invites the public to interact directly with the altar. During the exhibition, anyone can leave offerings, photographs, mementos, and objects connected to those who have passed away. In this way, the installation transcends its sculptural dimension to become a shared space of memory, mourning, and celebration, where individual experiences are integrated into a collective tribute.

The initiative is part of the free cultural activities organized in Manhattan for the Day of the Dead. Among the planned events is a public festival on October 28, which will include live folk performances and workshops on decorating sugar skulls, one of the characteristic crafts of this holiday.

With this installation, Flor de veinte pétalos brings a Mexican tradition to the urban landscape of New York and reclaims public space as a meeting place for cultures. The work establishes a dialogue between artisanal practices, community rituals, and contemporary creation, while allowing the memory of loved ones to find a shared expression beyond the private sphere.