Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life
New York Botanical Garden presents Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life an installation and exhibition centred on Kahlo’s relation to the natural world and the ties to her native Mexico.
Curated by PhD Adriana Zavala, the installation forms part of an extended exhibition program that examines the intersection of art and nature in the lives of important cultural figures. While Frida Kahlo is widely known for her Mexican and feminist identities, the New York Botanical Garden has focused on bringing forward her identity in relation to her love for nature—an aspect quite prevalent in her artwork with its abundance of plant life and animal depiction. Her relationship with nature was strengthened during the 1940s and 1950s when Kahlo, due to deteriorating health, was confined to her home and drew inspiration from her surroundings at Casa Azul.
Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life aims to evoke the studio and garden at Casa Azul, Kahlo’s home outside of Mexico City where she lived with her husband and fellow artist, Diego Rivera. The garden includes several plants native to Mexico, plants featured in her paintings, and plants that were found in Casa Azul. Accompanying the garden is an art gallery featuring 14 of Kahlo’s paintings and works on paper borrowed from private collections. Also included are intimate photographs of the artist’s home and garden by friends such as photographer Nickolas Muray.
Forming part of the exhibition the museum has created a list of programs to educate the public on her strong ties to nature. These include a symposium titled Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Mexican Art in the 20th Century as well as lectures, a Mexican film series, and a range of amusing programs. Accompanying the installation is a mobile app that guides visitors through the exhibition and helps them learn more about the plants in Kahlo’s art. The application is available via mobile phone and tablet here.
With its striking indigo blue walls and evocation of Rivera’s pyramid tribute to Aztec culture, the garden exhibit has drawn in large numbers of visitors, showing them Kahlo’s intense connection to Mexico and the natural world. Planned for five years, the art exhibit is the first solo presentation of Kahlo’s work in New York City in a decade. A first for the exhibition program, the exhibit provides historical and cultural background text in both English and Spanish.
Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life will be on show until Sunday 1 November 2015.
Words by Perwana Nazif.
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