Día del Gallo

In Día del Gallo, the familiar form of the rooster is reimagined through a layered interplay of life, structure, and symbolism. The vibrant exterior remains intact, while the skeletal interior is revealed—creating a visual dialogue between vitality and mortality.

Surrounding the figure, repeating motifs of skulls, flowers, insects, and butterflies draw from traditions associated with Día de los Muertos. These elements frame the rooster within a cycle of transformation, where death is not an end, but a continuation—woven into the rhythm of life. The composition balances celebration and reflection, using color and pattern to hold both at once.

The rooster itself, often a symbol of awakening and renewal, becomes something more complex here. Its presence suggests both resilience and fragility, standing at the intersection of presence and absence.

Executed in a distinctive “X-ray Expressionism” style, the work is influenced by chiaroscuro, using contrast and saturated color to reveal what lies beneath the surface. Día del Gallo invites the viewer to look beyond appearance and consider the layered nature of existence—where beauty, structure, and impermanence coexist.