Take off the Costume and Honor Thy Dead

ART
Day of the Dead

An amalgamation of indigenous ritual, Catholicism, and Mexican tradition, Día de los Muertos celebrates and honors those who have traversed the line between life and death in Latin American cultures. In reverence to this special day, the Altered Esthetics exhibition opening this evening presents more than 30 national artists’ representations of this visually-oriented, festive-yet-spiritual theme. Since traditional ofrendas (offerings for the dead) can include anything from tequila to old household items, expect images ranging from the mundane and comforting to the colorful and sexy. Participants at the opening reception tomorrow night are encouraged to bring momentos, pictures, and collages for a memorial wall commemorating those who have passed in the last year. The gallery is supplying candles and flowers for a community processional. –Danielle Cabot

1-7 p.m., Reception tomorrow from 7-9 p.m., Altered Esthetics, 1224 Quincy St. NE.; Minneapolis; 612-378-8888; free.

FILM
An Offering for the Dead

Also in honor of Día de los Muertos (and a good deal of filmmaking talent), the Walker opens the first session of its Cinematica series of Latin American film. For the next two weeks (and again in January), you can explore a broad spectrum of filmmaking styles from New Mexican Cinema. Quite fittingly, the series begins this evening with La Ofrenda: The Day of the Dead. Directed by Lourdes Portillo and Susana Muñoz, this 1988 documentary "reveals the pre-Hispanic roots of the Day of the Dead and invites us into present-day celebrations in Oaxaca and the United States."

7:30 p.m., Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7600; free.

THEATER & PERFORMANCE
Festival of Lies

Art meets life in this informal, party-like performance replete with food and drink from the Cedar-Riverside area’s Tam-Tam’s African Restaurant, and a locally produced soundtrack of African music. But the main attraction is Congolese choreographer Faustin Linyekula and his troupe of dancers and actors, who move within a shifting installation of fluorescent light fixtures, electrical chords, and other detritus to communicate, with movement and speech, stories both personal and political. The catch: Some of these tales are true, some lies — Linyekula’s reflection on the collective amnesia that tends to plague citizens of a corrupt, turbulent nation — and it’s the audience’s job to discern the difference. Presented by the Walker Art Center. –Christy DeSmith

8 p.m. (tonight through Saturday), Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-375-7600; $25.

MUSIC
Gypsy Mayhem

We first saw Gogol Bordello at the creatively named Bulgarian Bar at Canal and Broadway, the nexus of downtown New York. It was odd, to say the least, to eat pierogis at a table while watching a new, weird mutation of punk – the kind that was happening in suburban basements throughout the 80s – unfold on a tiny stage, as a small clutch of moshers steadily grew. Within a couple of years frontman Eugene Hutz, who is like a Ukrainian version of Iggy Pop, and his band of collaborators were being mobbed uptown, at the opening night of the Whitney Biennial. More a cabaret of chaos than a typical rock show, Gogol’s live performances fusing punk, Eastern European folk, and avant-garde DJ-ing are legendary. As Hutz once told a critic, "Sometimes we just sit around and think ‘We are this kind of band, but wouldn’t it be great if there were this and this and this kind of band’?" Exactly! –Julie Caniglia

6 p.m., First Avenue, 701 First Avenue N., Minneapolis; 612-332-1775; $18.

Still Holding Steady

The Hold Steady are well known for tossing hosannas to the Twin Cities’ landscape and music scene, past and present — from name-checking the "Grain Belt bridge" and Payne Avenue to sonic nods to all manner of local bands. Never mind that frontman Craig Finn, a native of Edina, decamped to Brooklyn some seven years ago — the Twin Towns (and their suburbs) remain a key inspiration. Of course, influences outside our city limits also filter into Finn’s songs: hints of Jersey boy Bruce Springsteen (okay, maybe not just hints) or Ohio’s Guided By Voices, not to mention shout-outs to dive bars and shopping malls stumbled across on countless and lengthy tours. What’s their latest Twin Cities reference? Find out when the Hold Steady plays the State Theatre this evening. While you’re at it, check out frontman Craig Finn’s playlist in this month’s issue. –Christy DeSmith

7:30 p.m., State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-339-7007; $23.50.