19 printmakers have responded to the artwork and ideas of José Guadalupe Posada (1852 – 1913), a popular illustrator-printmaker who had a unique working relationship with the urban environment of Mexico City. Posada observed the city from the window of his street corner studio, as he produced broadsides and periodicals to be circulated in the streets. In these, Posada trafficked in a “macabre populism,” giving his audience what they wanted—disasters, freaks of nature, social scandals and scenes of fantastical and everyday violence. It was a vision of an unstable and violent world but also an act of honoring the daily struggle of living. For this exhibition, a group of artists have created limited edition prints and another group has contributed to a limited edition newsprint tabloid publication, keeping in mind Posada and his presence in the city as a “macabre populist.”

Ryan Standfest is an artist and art educator who lives and works in Detroit. He is the publisher and editor of ROTLAND PRESS and founded the performance group Cabaret BLACK EYE. He holds an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Iowa.