> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://hyperallergic.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Art, Politics, and Craft of Piñatas - URL: https://hyperallergic.com/the-art-politics-and-craft-of-pinatas/ - Published: 2021-10-10T20:05:00.000Z - Updated: 2025-11-24T15:13:46.000Z - Description: From COVID-19 vaccine piñatas to cheeky Rothko interpretations. - Author: Samanta Helou Hernandez - Tags: Art, Los Angeles, Photo Essays, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-large, #Import 2025-11-24 09:11 (2021, 2022, part 1) LOS ANGELES — If you grew up in and around a Mexican or Mexican-American community, you know that breaking piñatas is a ubiquitous tradition at most celebrations. The scene goes a little something like this: a tio stands on the roof of the house pulling the rope attached to the piñata as dizzy children, with covered eyes, try to hit it with a wooden stick in hopes of being the one to bust it open and collect the most candy. These paper mache structures could be anything from a Disney character to beloved (or hated) figures like Selena and Selena’s murderer Yolanda Saldivar. They’re usually purchased at mercados and, in LA’s case, the piñata district in downtown. As a child, it’s cathartic being allowed to destroy something, and of course, the sweet treats at the end don’t hurt. But beyond a fun activity at parties, piñatas are both a craft and an art form that reflect pop culture and politics. The shape-shifting nature of these items is currently on display at the Craft in America Center in [*Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration*](https://www.craftinamerica.org/exhibition/pinatas-the-high-art-of-celebration?ref=hyperallergic.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2021/10/wxhvl.jpg) Amorette Crespo, "Selena" (2021) Traditional piñata makers and artists recontextualize the art form and present a wide array of figures from COVID-19 vaccine piñatas to cheeky interpretations of abstract art like [Roberto Benavidez](https://robertobenavidez.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com)’s *Piñathko* series, an ode to Rothko. Benavidez’s talent is most poignantly displayed through his series of fantastical animals reminiscent of Mexican alebrijes which have a colorful luminescent quality by way of an intricately cut and applied mix of metallic and tissue paper. While piñatas have long been used as a form of practical social commentary (think the proliferation of Donald Trump piñatas during his presidency), [Giovanni Valderas](https://www.giovannivalderas.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com) takes it a step further through site-specific placements of piñatas in the shape of sad-faced houses — a comment on gentrification and the displacement of Latinx communities. [Diana Benavidez](https://www.dbenavidez.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com) engages the US–Mexico border through the series *Vehiculos Transfronterizos*; motorized piñata cars carry messages like “Border Crosser” and “La Pinche Migra.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2021/10/v0avj.jpg) Diana Benavidez, "Border Crosser and La Pinche Migra," from *Vehículos Transfronterizos* series (2019) I was reminded of cherished childhood memories when walking through the exhibit, and in my head I couldn’t help but hear the tune we used to sing in unison as each person got their turn hitting the piñata: “dale dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el tino, porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino. Ya le diste una, Ya le diste dos, Ya le diste tres, Y tu tiempo se acabó.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2021/10/n8qkn.jpg) Left to right: Francisco Palomares, "Agarrate Papa" (2020), Amorette Crespo, "Zoom Laptop" (2021), Giovanni Valderas, "Casita Triste (sad little house)" (2017), Mari Carson, "Uterus Piñata" (2021), Amorette Crespo, "Selena" (2021) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2021/10/n3avy.jpg) Ana Serrano, "Piñatitas" (2012) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2021/10/zw46o.jpg) Isaias Rodriguez, "resilience" (2021) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2021/10/zljaq.jpg) Roberto Benavidez, "Illuminated Piñata No. 5" (2017) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2021/10/tulnk.jpg) Roberto Benavidez, "Javelina Girl (Illuminated Piñata No.14)" (2019) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2021/10/iwszk.jpg) Amazing Piñatas, "Alebrije" (2021) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2021/10/qppld.jpg) Roberto Benavidez, *Piñathko*, left to right: No. 25, 20, 30, 26, 19, 16, 25, 18, 17, 2, 24, 22 (all 2015) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2021/10/ql1mo.jpg) Roberto Benavidez, "Illuminated Hybrid No. 3" (2019) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2021/10/tpw7m.jpg) Lisbeth Palacios, "COVID Vaccine" (2021) [](https://www.craftinamerica.org/exhibition/pinatas-the-high-art-of-celebration?ref=hyperallergic.com)[Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration](https://www.craftinamerica.org/exhibition/pinatas-the-high-art-of-celebration?ref=hyperallergic.com) *continues at Craft in America Center (8415 West 3rd Street, Beverly Grove, Los Angeles*) *through December 4\. The exhibition is curated by Emily Zaiden.*