Frida's Paradox: The First Frida Kahlo Exhibition in China

We have come to think we know the person who is known today the world over simply as “Frida”. We are familiar with her image and her capture of the universal female narrative of resilience and the chimera of effortlessness. Then there is her iconic status in popular culture - the countless products, the “merch”, look-alikes and pilgrimages to ‘The Blue House’, her home and studio in Mexico. But how well do we really know the artist who almost always chose to create her self-portrait as an expressionless mask - even when her cheeks are dotted with tears, her eyes and mouth refuse to cry? The person who signed her letters “The Great Concealer” (of physical pain, romantic rejection - and contradictions)? “Frida’s Paradox” at Sea World’s V&A Design Society this summer is receiving attention because it has chosen to eschew Frida’s self-portraits. Through riches of pre-Columbian treasures, matriarchal Tehuana costumes, and in dialogue with seven (female) Chinese artists, this exhibition navigates the contradictions to delve deeper into the artist’s psyche.

Contradiction 1: the visitor is met with Temple Mayor, an exact replica in miniature of the Aztec temple in Mexico City the Spanish conquistadors built over. Frida channeled her native culture (she even got rid of the European plants from her garden as you will see in the blue courtyard later) and cultivated an image of the most Mexican of Mexicans at a time where anything European was (still) considered to be superior.

Contradiction 2: Frida had to navigate a clash of cultures from birth: to a native Mexican-Spanish mother and German father; to trailing her husband Diego Rivera to America to paint Communist-inspired murals (some later concealed) for wealthy Capitalists. Ultimately, Frida too had to gain acceptance from the new American establishment and of course, the old school in Paris.

Contradiction 3: Enter Frida’s bedroom. Many of Frida’s greatest works were painted in bed. Due to her immense physical pain following “the accident” at age 18, which pierced her stomach and uterus to her spine. The contradiction between wearing and channeling a monumental cultural mantle and being confined to a restrictive domestic setting is startling. Look for the first original work by Frida “Look at me, don’t touch me” by the bedside and “umustbestrong” by Chinese artist Liang Yuanwei. Do not miss Frida’s dining room re imagined by artist Xiao Fo, which deceptively looks like a play room; the ribboning of the dining table is a reference to the bandages Frida wore her whole life after the bus accident.

Contradiction 4: The exhibition features some of the first and last art works Frida created. This full circle sees her start and end with still lifes. Paradoxically, she confided in one of her final diary entries: “I feel uneasy about my painting [self-portraits]. Above all I want to transform it into something useful…” The ultimate paradox from the person who devoted her life to a larger-than-life image of herself. Frida’s still lifes, like upcoming Chinese artist Sun Yitian alongside her, feature more anthropomorphic, animated features than their human figures. Look for the tears of the coconut… (and see the wall text to explain why a coconut).

Contradiction 5: You will next enter a flesh-coloured room. A glass receptacle sits in the centre, responding to your movement. It is particularly poignant in the context of Frida Kahlo’s circumstances and the curtailment of movement she experienced that the visitors’ unimpeded movement be the conduit for the creation of this sound installation by artist Lisa Chang Lee. Pause for a moment and contemplate Frida’s lack of mobility she hid so well.

Contradiction 6: To “hide in plain sight” was a major concept for Frida. Brace yourself for the exuberant, “look at me” costumes on display in the next room (especially the “resplandor” head dress). It is hardly surprising Frida was attracted to the matriarchal society of the Zapotec, from which she hailed on her mother’s side, and we are lucky enough to have some of Frida’s very own clothes at the end of this room. The pre-Columbian (Totonaca, Tlatilco and Teotihuacan) treasures Frida collected and directly referenced in her artwork are another feast for the eyes in this room. The “smiling” funeral masks reveals a unique cultural focus on vitality in the face of death and we see this ancient and unique Mesoamerican paradox of acknowledging death to embrace life carry on today in Mexico’s Day of The Dead celebrations.

Contradiction 7: We may be familiar with the highly-orchestrated photographic portraits of Frida by Nickolas Muray, the pioneer of colour photography - Hollywood-esque, glamorized - but here we have the rarely seen and relatively unposed photographs by Leo Matiz that give, by contrast, the final sense of the real woman behind the image.

The contradictions of her work were summed up by her husband, Diego Rivera, thus:- “… acid and tender, hard as steel and delicate and fine as a butterfly’s wing, lovable as a beautiful smile, and profound and cruel as the bitterness of life.”

Don’t miss the chance to experience Frida’s Paradox brought to you by Peking Art Associates at The V&A Design Society Shenzhen until September 15th.

Ticket Purchases for Schools, Chambers of Commerce and Companies with fun facts tour, just scan the QR code for group discounts or contact: Miss. Michelle Feng on 13263203390 or [email protected]