Death comes by Mail

Foto + Collage von Gerald Jatzek & Plakat

The Asturian City of Avilés is an important place for contemporary mail art. Year after year the Department of Culture organizes an international themed exhibition.

Last year’s show includes more than 500 works.

This year’s theme was simply “death”, and artists from all over the world were invited to submit postcard-sized (DIN A6) entries. As always, all techniques and materials were permitted as long as they were accepted as mail by the foreign and the domestic postal service.

Santa Muerte in Nuevo Laredo. (Photo by Not home – public domain)

As a stimulus for the artists, the call also listed a number of personifications of death. There are many of them in different cultures, so we’ve added a few more to the list:
The Grim Reaper, Our Lady of the Holy Death (Santa Muerte), Güera, Morana, Oom Hendrik, Freund Hein, Petateada, Catrina, Bony, Cot Legs, Wire Legs, Yama or King Yan, Bruta, Calaca, Malak al-Maut, Calavera, Pelona, Cù Sìth, Gwyn ap Nudd, Hel, Qui Qui, Toothless, , Equalizer, Pepenadora, a.s.o.

The exhibition will take place in Avilés in November 2024.

The Exhibition

VIII International Avilés Mail Art Exhibition

Palacio de Valdecarzana, Avilés, Asturias, Spain

  • The exhibition will be open from November 12th to January 31st.
    Free entry
  • Download the free catalog.

The Illustrations

The images at the top of the page are Gerald Jatzek’s contribution, which refers to The Legend of the holy Drinker by the Autrian author Joseph Roth, and the official poster .

Where are the Artists from?

Germany, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Spain,Finland, France, Greece, Equatorial Guinea , Hungary, India, England, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Rumania, Serbia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Who are the Artists?

Pictures of an exhibition (from the catalog)

ALEMANIA: Angelika Grünberg // Annette Behlau // Barbara Noculak // Edita Varinska // Friederike Höfer // Horst Tress // Ingeborg Herichs // Jeannette M. Trzebiner // Jürgen Völkert-Marten // Kafkas Caprazli // Karola Berg // Melanie Bäreis // Michael Georg Bregel // Nicole Clöer // Nula Horo // Petra Dzierzon // Susanne Zühlke // Sylvia Kuttruf // Tom Ribe ARGENTINA: Claudia Agusti // Claudia García // llia Ruiz Muñoz // Silvio de Gracia // Viviana Andrada AUSTRIA: Gerald Jatzek // Horvath Piroska // Klaus Pinter BÉLGICA: Jan Theuninck BIELORRUSIA: Irina Novikova BRASIL: Ana Cláudia Barín // Cristiane Grando // El Escriba Celestial // Eni Ilis // Hugo Pontes // Jean Oliver Linck // Jozé Roberta Silva // Karla Kolberg Lipp // Leila Chandani // Marcelo Eugenio Soares Pereira // Marcia Rosenberger // Maria Antonieta Gonzaga Teixeira // María Cláudia Martins // María do Carmo Both // Michele Martines // Renata Danicek // Rita Inés Petrykoloski Peixe // Roberta Mendes de Sá // Roberto Keppler // Sandro Bottene // Suely Castro Mello // Valeria Boelter CALIFORNIA: Karen Wood // Michelangelo Mayo // Tofu CANADÁ: Spike Spence CHILE: Elizabeth Gaete Holmes // Enrique de Santiago CHINA: Ai Weiwei DINAMARCA: Poul Poclage // Victor Valqui Vidal ESPAÑA: Aida Blanco Prados // Ainhoa Cortés // Alba // Alba Rebollar // Alba Sanz de la Cal // Alberto Lamas // Alberto Lelac // Alejandra Usero // Alicia Aranguren Rodríguez // Alicia María García Ruiz // Alicia Menoyo // Amparo Rubinos Hermida // Ana Elías // Angel Alejandro Quirós Martínez // Angel Sanz Montero // Beatriz Velázquez González // CAI Villalegre (FASAD) // Carica // Carmen Peláez // Carmen Suárez Carrio // Cesar reglero // COSEGA // Corporación Semiótica Galega // Dani M. // Daniel de Cullá // David Montserrat // Domingo Sanz Montero // Esteban // Estefi // Eva Belén Rodríguez // Eva Santiago Vicente // Felipe Lamadrid // Ferran Destemple // Francisco Sánchez Gil // Graci Leal Arias // Hanmo Bal Dvorakschka // Hind Rajab (in memoriam) // Isabel Gómez de Diego // J. M. M // Jordi Catalán Fuster // José Agustín San Real // José Antonio Hinojos Morales // José Darío // José María Pérez Rielo // Juan Abdón Suárez Fernández // Juan Alvarez Fuente // Juan Fran Núñez Parreño // Kylian C. Gómez // La Compañía // Lucía // Lucía Blesa García // Luismi // Luján Suárez Nir // Manuel Calvarro Sánchez // Manuel Ruiz Ruiz // Manuel Sainz Serrano // Manuel Xío Blanco // Mar González Vasserot // Marh // Mari Carmen Elena Fernández Gutiérrez // Ma Amor Castelao Rodríguez // María de la Cal Gallego // María del Carmen Bellido Márquez // María Guadalupe San Román Castellano // María José Colao Rodríguez // Marina F. D. // Marta Aparicio // Miguel // Miguel Jiménez // EI Taller de Zenón // Miguel Sokolowski Romany // Millán M. // Mónica Sánchez Rodríguez // Nieves Salvador Bayarri // Noelia González Fernández // Otto Fernando Boelter // Paula // Pedro Bericat // Pilar García Sanz // Rafael Alexandre de Matos // Raquel Fernández Aza // Ramón Cruces // Rebeca Mora Marquna // Ricardo F // Sabela Baña // Sergio // Sergio Aragón Martínez // Valdor // Vinjoy/Yuri Moschini FINLANDIA: Anja Mattila-Tolvanen // John Gayer FRANCIA: Alexandre Herve // Daniella Cosson // Elyane LECOQ // Laurence Bucourt // Michel Della Vedova // Patricia Fiammingo // Uta Richten // Virginie Loreau Amat GRECIA: Demetrios Coutarelli HUNGRÍA: Pál Csaba // Peter Abajkovics INDIA: Mandeep Singh Manu // Ramit Chopra INGLATERRA: Lola González // Simon Warren IRLANDA: Sanz Romero ITALIA: Alberto Sordi // Antonella Gandini // Claudio Romero // Daniele Virgilio // Giovanni and Renata StraDA DA // Giovanni Donaudi // Isabella Balena // Lara Favaro // Leona K. // Margherita Verdi // Marzia María Braglia // Psyche out Fanzine // Riccardo Pezzoli // Roberta Savolini // Roberto Scala // Rosanna Veronesi // Ruggero Maggi // Sergio Guerrini // Vivana Ravelli JAPÓN: Ryosuke Cohen MALASIA: Luqman Rosan // Suzlee Ibrahim MÉXICO: Francisca Geron Herrera // Ignacio Navarro Cortez // José Luis Alcalde Soberanes // Mauricio Guerrero Alarcón // Mónica Sánchez Vergara NEPAL: Binod Dawadi NUEVA JERSEY: D. M. Caparaz OHIO: John M. Bennett // Reid Wood POLONIA: Adam Czech // Anita Grobelak // Jarosean Skutnik // Krzysztof Pasztula // María Piatek // Maryna Podolska // Natalia Pawlus PORTUGAL: Aparicio Farinha // María José Silva-Mizé // Maria Tereza // Paulo Teles // Susana Bravo REPÚBLICA CHECA: Martin Dosek // Walther H.J. Smeitink-Mühlbacher RUMANIA: Nani Corina // Ovidiu Petca // Sergiu Zearean // Valentina Stefanescu SERBIA: Zorica Obradovic SINGAPUR: Gloria Keh SUECIA: Henry Grahn Hermunen // Richard Larsson-Enq // Ottmar Bergmann SUIZA: René Eisenegger TURQUÍA: Ahmet Hakan Campolat // Avlin Güngör // Burw Koia // Canan Piraye // Derva AVCI // Eren Görgülü // Meral Agar UCRANIA: Andrew Levitsky // Román Golub URUGUAY: María Victoria Boné Ramírez VENEZUELA: _guroga WYOMING (EE.UU.): Mary Nash


Published by Marius van der Graaf

Marius considers himself a citizen of the world. He is an artist, writer, and translator. When he is not traveling, he splits his time between Indonesia and Europe.

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