"The Atomic Apocalypse: Will Death Die?" – British Museum, Bloomsbury, London, England

Pedro Linares (1906-1992) was the original creator of a bestiary of mythical, dragon-like beasts made from reeds or wire, paper, paint and an inspired imagination. It is said that Pedro Linares had an amazing dream whilst recovering from an illness in which these fantastical creatures appeared. They called these creatures "Alebrijes."

Popular artists such as the Linares in Mexico are known as " cartoneros." Pedro Linares created and subsequent generations now create alebrijes which include fantastical dragons, beasts and winged fish on legs, floral decorated skulls, devils and skeleton figures. Although many other Mexican craft shops sell items described as "Alebrijes" it is the Linares families and further generations thereof who produce the true "alebrijes". Pedro’s sons and grandsons now continue the tradition and their works are widely collected.

The "alebrijes" are still made with the same method to this day. The process is quite simple : an armature is made from reed or wire in the shape of the final body. To build up certain areas newspaper can be taped on when dry before adding the glued layers. A home made paste is produced using flour heated up in boiling water. Sheets of plain brown paper or newspaper are added in layers to cover the frame until it is firm. This may take some time as some of these creatures are extremely large. The figure then has to dry thoroughly. In Mexico, the sunny weather speeds up this process. All sorts of wondrous extremities are then added including wings, horns, tails, fierce teeth, bulgy eyes and a whole host of other creative additions. The final figure is painted white. Then is the time for the colourful painting. The Linares use brushes of cat hair to achieve the fine lines.

Colours which would normally clash are painted side by side in intricate patterns and produce stunning results. The attention to detail is quite amazing with a series of repeated scales, and intricate patterns including tear drops wiggly lines and series of dots. A steady hand and eye is a must to produce such a carefully detailed vision of colour.

These "alebrijes" are now transported all over the world and the bigger ones may be made in sections that fit together to aid transport. In 1990 the Mexican Government awarded Pedro Linares the National Prize for Popular Arts and Traditions (Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes en la Rama VI, Artes y Tradiciones Populares). The work of the Linares is now being avidly collected by European and American museums and collectors.

In London, at the Museum of Mankind, papier mâché figures by Felipe and Leonardo were included in the exhibition "The Skeleton and the Feast: the Day of the Dead in Mexico" (1991-1993). This included a huge installation entitled "The Atomic Apocalypse: Will Death Die?" showing the figures of Famine, War, Pestilence and Death presiding over a selection of scenes depicting the evils of the modern world.