Handspan Theatre's production of Viva la Vida: Frida Kahlo is being presented at the Performance Space, 199 Cleveland St, Redfern (Sydney), from September 29 to October 9. Written by Karen Corbett and directed by Angela Chaplin, the play uses puppets and live actors to recreate the life and works of Frida Kahlo. Here, MINNIE O'SHEA examines the reasons for the increasing interest in Kahlo and her work.
It is difficult to separate the persona of Frida Kahlo from her work. As an artist who painted approximately 100 self-portraits, Kahlo obviously saw no such separation. The recent popularity of her work can partly be attributed to an exposure of her personal identity.
In 1990 the Art Galleries of Western Australia and South Australia hosted an exhibition of Frida Kahlo's paintings and drawings. Since then, in Australia there has been an explosion of the interest in Kahlo which has existed internationally since she was 22, in 1929.
In 1938, the famous surrealist Andre Breton wrote an article about her work. In the same year in New York she had her first one-woman show. From then on she contributed to many exhibitions: in Paris, New York, Boston and in her own country, Mexico.
Especially since the 1970s, artists who were women have been "rediscovered" by art writers. Like Kahlo, many female artists' careers had been eclipsed by those of their male partners, whose work received more attention and financial reward; she was married for 25 years to the muralist Diego Rivera.
The knowledge of women who worked as artists and the reclaiming of their roles in history and art movements provides inspiration and greater understanding of the realities of the past for both male and female artists practising today.
The image of Kahlo as a strong woman, as expressed dramatically in her self-portraits, is probably the greatest reason for her current popularity. The mesmerising power of paintings such as Self-portrait dedicated to Dr. Eloesser (1940) and Self-portrait with Monkeys (1943) strikes a chord with almost any viewer, especially with women of the "third wave" of feminism. Kahlo's rise in popularity has coincided with this rise of the women's movement.
That she provides an example of strength for women today is not surprising, as Kahlo had been an unusually ambitious woman from an early age. She was one of only 35 women in a high school of 2000 students, and before a horrific accident in 1925, she expressed the intention to become a physician.
Her strong will helped her survive the injuries she received, and kept her going through years of physical pain. In a letter written after the accident, she said, "The only good thing about me is that I'm beginning to get used to suffering".
Her will also enabled her to survive and paint from her experience of emotional suffering. Rivera wrote that she "has expressed in her works of art the feelings, functions and aggressive power of a woman".
Her artistic independence was impressive. She was not stylistically influenced by Rivera, even though he had been painting for many years when she met him. Although claimed by the surrealists as one of their own, her vision was entirely personal and did not correspond to a school or group. In a letter to Rivera, Pablo Picasso wrote, "Neither Derrain nor I nor you are able to paint a head like those of Frida Kahlo".
The creative individuality she maintained in her work was also expressed in the way she dressed. Photographs and self-portraits show her stunningly attired at all times, in clothes as varied as indigenous bridal dress (as in Self-portrait as Tehuana, 1943) to men's suits in the style of Rudolf Valentino. The unique spectacle of herself she created for public view still impresses today, especially considering that her man's clothing can be interpreted as an expression of feminism and her bisexuality.
Kahlo liked to recount stories of how she inspired couturiers in New York and Paris with her dresses and assortment of modern and ancient jewellery. With the widening influence of gay and lesbian cultural/political events such as Sydney's Mardi Gras, Kahlo's sexuality and colourful, festive costumes are also increasing their influence on the imagination of many.