Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter who has recently made a resurgence in the public eye. A new exhibit titled “Frida: Immersive Dream” has just opened across several major cities. According to the event’s website, Immersive-Frida.com, the exhibit is intended to be an immersive retelling of the life and career of Kahlo.
Currently, the exhibit is showing in eight major cities across the United States, including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and San Francisco. Immersive-Frida.com says the show will be a “360-degree experience.” Patrons will be able to walk through rooms full of 360-degree screens that detail every portion of Kahlo’s life. The exhibit has opened in some cities and will stay open until May.
Many Sacred Heart students are familiar with the artist and were excited to hear about the exhibit.
“She is for sure a feminine icon,” said graduate student Samantha Curran.
Though Curran hadn’t seen much of her work, she knew about one distinct feature that’s included in nearly all of Kahlo’s pieces.
“The number of self-portraits she did presenting a prominent uni-brow was something that nobody really thought of as feminine,” said Curran.
According to Net-A-Porter.com, Kahlo’s uni-brow is representative of feminist ideals. “Her brow is a statement rejecting stereotypes about what is and isn’t attractive.”
Kahlo’s work was heavily influenced by her physical ailments. According to FridaKahlo.org, Kahlo contracted polio at a young age. Due to this, her right leg and foot grew much thinner than her other limbs. Kahlo was also involved in a bus accident in 1922.
According to FridaKahlo.org, “A steel handrail impaled her through the hip. Her spine and pelvis were fractured, and this accident left her in a great deal of pain.”
Kahlo’s painting “The Broken Column” was heavily inspired by her bus accident.
“I have personally never heard of Kahlo,” said Art Club Vice President, Amanda Palma. “The artist uses strong colors and scenes to portray her subject and really gets the point to the viewer.”
Palma also expressed interest in attending the exhibit saying, “I think that her interactive exhibit would be interesting to attend, especially because her work is so unlike anything I’ve seen before.”
Art Prof. Mary Treschitta, says that the new exhibit is revolutionary.
“We have entered a new and inventive way to experience art,” said Treschitta. “Total immersion into Frida Kahlo’s emotional state of being.”
Treschitta said that this new way of viewing art is something she hopes to bring to SHU. “We have been experimenting with augmented reality in our own art and design gallery,” said Treschitta.
The exhibit was attended by several descendants of Kahlo, all who had a positive experience.
According to News.Artnet.com, Kahlo’s great grandniece, Mara Romero Kahlo, has been very cooperative in supplying information on the artist. Both her and her daughter responded positively to the exhibit, especially due to the producer, Massimiliano Siccardi’s, take on the content.
With the exhibit coming to so many cities, there are many chances to experience the tribute to Kahlo.
“Her visual communication of female emotions transcended the art world,” said Treschitta. “All humans can connect to this emotional outcry.”
