Via I Want Your Skull, I discovered Saul Hernandez's sculptures of death, showing the skeletal figure engaged in various pursuits: playing an instrument, enjoying a drink, taking a bath, having sex.

Over the last several years, Day of the Dead figures have become very common in Los Angeles. As part of entering the U.S. mainstream, there has been some change in the meaning of these statuettes. In L.A., their connection to Dia de los Muertos celebrations and their ritual function as reminders of death has been obscured in favor of more pop symbolism.

Although folklore traditions naturally change over time, I'm not entirely comfortable with the kitschy character of some pop Day of the Dead imagery. It feels as if these cultural artifacts have been drained of death, and what's left is just a visual joke, or a childish cartoon.

What I like about Saul Hernandez's sculptures of death is their soulful aspect. In the image of a skeleton playing a guitar shown here, you can see the fragility of life in the slumped shoulders and spine. Because of that, you can also see its opposite: the determination to live in the cocked angle of the knee and in the bowed skull, so deep in concentration.