Why the exhibition “Frida Kahlo—Conexões entre mulheres surrealistas no México” (Frida Kahlo—Connections among surrealist women in Mexico) touched me so deeply is hard to define. One thing is for sure: it goes beyond the ravishing artistic quality of the paintings, sculptures and photographs assembled by the show’s curator, Teresa Arcq.
Maybe it has to do with surrealism and its vigorous invitation to pull us to the core of our unconsciousness, into a scary and fascinating territory. Or maybe it has to do with the force of the feminine, which exhales its bittersweet perfume, taking over our senses, wrapping us up in mystical and dreamlike stories and in surreal, yet so real, history. The intensity with which some paintings struck me made it difficult to stay behind the safety line. What is a safe distance for a piece of art that has the power of moving us, anyway?
Yes, this show compels us to contemplate our inner selves through the revelation of the private yet universal world of Frida and these other fifteen artists. It was a gratifying surprise to discover the courage, audacity and resilience in the work of these women, especially Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo.
The exhibition doesn’t collude with the conventional myth of Frida Kahlo but unties her from the commonplace of a psycho-biographical artist and places her into a greater context, where she plays a larger role connecting Mexico, United States and Europe. In this way, Frida is like the sun, radiating her own beautiful being, influencing interesting and fertile women through aesthetics and ideological affinities, enlightening the Mexican culture and its traditions, as well as the whole, disturbing and beautiful world we live in—the inner and the outer, the real and the surreal.
Frida Kahlo – Conexões entre mulheres surrealistas no México
In São Paulo, through January 10, 2016.
Instituto Tomie Ohtake
In Rio, from February 2 to March 27
Caixa Cultural do Rio de Janeiro
In Brasília, from April 12 to June 12
Caixa Cultural de Brasília
Related Stories
Infusing Chance and Control: New exhibition of Tomie Ohtake at Galeria Nara Roesler offers insight into her work process The compositions Tomie Ohtake identified in these minute collages worked as “scripts” for paintings and prints that experimented with different scales and chromatic combinations.
A Home for Art: Ricardo Kugelmas Turns His House into the Art Platform Auroras The art of painting in small formats is the topic of Auroras’ inaugural exhibit “Small Paintings,” with thirteen Brazilian artists, curated by artist Bruno Dunley and Ricardo Kugelmas, both preeminent thinkers about art in their generation. The “Small Paintings” exhibition is divided into two parts. The first runs through October 16, followed by part two, also with thirteen artists, from October…
Artist by Nature: A Conversation about Self-Taught Wood Sculptor Véio "Véio is an artist to the bone. His is a truly contemporary narrative, it is strong, authentic and, at the same time, concise and consistent. Along these years there is a clear search for synthesis of intellect and emotion in his recurring themes based on the struggle for life of both man and beast in the sun-beaten Nordeste environment."
How to Remove Nails (or the Art and Praise of Loss): A review of “Places of Delirium” at Museum of Art of Rio (MAR) In this wide-ranging exhibition based on the concept of delirium, works by renowned artists such as Cildo Meireles or Laura Lima stand side-by-side with those of much-lesser-known artists such as João Jordão da Silva or Luis Guides.
Flesh at Risk: A Review of Arno Rafael Minkkinen's Retrospective at Sesc Vila Mariana "If you are going to be under the snow, be under the snow. 'Out of limitations new forms emerge,' Georges Braque said.” Artist Arno Rafael Minkkinen (Helsinki, 1945) shares this in "How to work the way I work,” instructions that he put on his website, along with "embrace mystery" and "accept failure,” for those who want to imitate his peculiar…
The Semiotics of the Symbiotic: A Review of Johanna Calle’s Babel at Marília Razuk Gallery In her third solo show at Marília Razuk Gallery, Colombian artist Johanna Calle features three new series, named Minùsculas, Párrafos and Simbiontes. As in other series from the artist, graphic and visual productions are conjugated along with raw materials like wire, iron and steel. In addition to these, Calle employs craft techniques like sewing and drilling, handwritten and typed texts,…
