Día de Muertos: An Ofrenda Honoring the Memory of Octavio Paz
In collaboration with the Mexican Cultural Institute in Miami, Coral Gables Museum presents a traditional Día de Muertos altar dedicated to the Nobel Prize-winning poet, bringing together art, literature, memory, and Mexican cultural heritage.
CORAL GABLES, FL — On Saturday, October 31, 2026, Coral Gables Museum will celebrate Día de Muertos with Una ofrenda a la memoria de Octavio Paz, a special installation honoring the legacy of one of Mexico’s most influential literary figures. Presented in collaboration with the Mexican Cultural Institute in Miami, the event marks the museum’s first presentation of a traditional Día de Muertos altar, inviting visitors to explore the relationship between remembrance, cultural identity, and artistic expression.
Created by Mexican artists Karla Kantorovich and Mónica Czukerberg, the installation pays tribute to Octavio Paz (1914–1998), the celebrated poet, essayist, and recipient of the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature. Through a carefully assembled ofrenda, the artists bring together traditional elements of the Mexican celebration with visual references to Paz’s intellectual and literary universe.
Marigolds, candles, papel picado, textiles, books, and symbolic offerings become part of an installation that reflects on the enduring presence of those who have passed away. Each element contributes to a visual language in which memory is not understood simply as an act of looking backward, but as a continuing relationship between the living and the dead.
Memory, Poetry, and the Meaning of Día de Muertos
Día de Muertos occupies a distinctive place in Mexican cultural heritage. Rather than approaching death exclusively through grief or absence, the tradition creates a space for remembrance, celebration, and the symbolic return of loved ones through offerings prepared in their honor.
The choice of Octavio Paz as the subject of this tribute introduces an additional layer of meaning. Throughout his literary career, Paz explored questions of identity, time, solitude, history, and the relationship between life and death. His reflections on Mexican culture and the human experience offer a compelling intellectual context for an altar dedicated to memory.
In this installation, the ofrenda becomes more than a traditional ceremonial arrangement. It also functions as an artistic interpretation of Paz’s legacy, where literature and visual culture intersect. Books and written words coexist with flowers, light, color, and ritual objects, creating a dialogue between the material and the intangible.
Through their collaboration, Kantorovich and Czukerberg invite audiences to consider how cultural traditions preserve collective memory while remaining open to contemporary artistic expression.
A Cultural Celebration for the Community
Beyond the installation, Coral Gables Museum will offer a program designed to introduce visitors of all ages to the traditions and creative expressions associated with Día de Muertos.
The celebration will feature an opening presentation by the artists, tastings of Mexican food and traditional pan de muerto, live guitar music, and a creative workshop inspired by the vibrant imagery of the celebration.
By combining visual art, literature, music, and participatory activities, the program offers an opportunity for families and the broader Miami community to experience an important aspect of Mexican cultural heritage.
Una ofrenda a la memoria de Octavio Paz also reflects the significance of cultural collaboration in South Florida, bringing together artists and institutions to encourage intercultural dialogue and a deeper appreciation of the traditions that shape the region’s diverse communities.
At its heart, the exhibition presents remembrance as an active and creative gesture. Through the poetry of Octavio Paz and the artistic interpretations of Kantorovich and Czukerberg, the celebration reminds visitors that memory continues to connect generations, cultures, and personal histories.
Event Information
Event: Día de Muertos: Una ofrenda a la memoria de Octavio Paz
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
Time: 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Venue: Coral Gables Museum, Coral Gables, Florida
Artists: Karla Kantorovich and Mónica Czukerberg
Presented in collaboration with: Mexican Cultural Institute in Miami
Activities: Artist presentation, Mexican food and pan de muerto tastings, live guitar music, and creative workshop.
RSVP and additional information:
https://coralgablesmuseum.org/project/dia-de-muertos-una-ofrenda-ala-memoria-de-octavio-paz/
Art Miami Magazine | Arts, Culture & Exhibitions
Karla Kantorovich is a Mexican multidisciplinary artist based in Miami, whose practice explores transformation, memory, and the profound connection between humanity and nature.
Working with handmade paper, textiles, ceramics, fibers, and found organic materials, she transforms processes of erosion and reconstruction into acts of renewal. Kantorovich earned her MFA from Florida International University.
Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at Museo Rufino Tamayo and MACO Museum in Mexico, Piero Atchugarry Gallery, the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, and The Society of the Four Arts. She received the Ellies Creator Award (Oolite Arts, 2021), the Green Space Award (2023), and First Prize at the World Textile Art Biennial (2025), along with an Honorable Mention at the XIX Bienal Rufino Tamayo.
Deeply rooted in her Mexican heritage, Kantorovich’s work embodies a continuous dialogue between material, spirit, and the natural world.
Mónica Czukerberg Nankin is a visual artist whose practice focuses primarily on abstract painting, sculpture, mixed media, and photography. Her creative process is rooted in the exploration and experimentation of materials, textures, and forms, continuously seeking new techniques to articulate her aesthetic vision.
She defines her artistic style as “abstract realism,” combining elements of nature with undefined environments shaped by personal reflection and investigation. Inspired by Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos and the natural world, her work draws from landscapes, the interplay of light and shadow, the depths of the ocean, the freshness of forests, lush foliage, and vibrant flowers. Drawing on her background in architecture, she seeks to establish a sense of balance through the integration of geometric and organic forms.
Through abstract painting and sculpture, Czukerberg Nankin moves beyond the constraints of literal representation, exploring different ways to communicate emotions and ideas. Her work invites viewers to immerse themselves in imagined landscapes, evoking the sensation of being transported to a magical place where nature, abstraction, and imagination converge.
