Another side of a legend

[xchrom]

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2012/02/16/another-side-of-a-legend/


(Images courtesy Frida Kahlo Museum via Artisphere)

Fans of Frida Kahlo and students of photography in the D.C. area have a rare opportunity to see a collection of photographs that document and explore the fascinating life and rich legacy of this influential queer artist.

From Feb. 23 through March 25, Artisphere will be the only venue in the United States to show “Frida Kahlo: Her Photos,” an exhibition of personal photographs that have been hidden from public view since Kahlo’s death in 1954.

The extraordinary work of bisexual Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is celebrated by a diverse group of dedicated fans. Best known for a series of stunning self-portraits that use costume and color to great effect, Kahlo is now seen as an important member of the surrealist movement. Artist André Breton hailed her work as a “ribbon around a bomb” and it’s admired in Mexico as an exploration of national and indigenous traditions. Feminists celebrate her painting as an uncompromising depiction of female bodies and lives and a powerful testament to her incredible strength in facing a life of chronic pain.

Writing in the online encyclopedia glbtq, queer cultural critic Tamsin Wilton also underscores the importance of Kahlo as a queer artist. During her long tempestuous marriage to famous activist and artist Diego Rivera, Kahlo had several affairs with both men and women. More artistically significant, however, is her bold use of costume to challenge traditional notions of female sexuality. Just as her depictions of ornate Mexican costumes were used to celebrate indigenous Amerindian culture, Wilton writes that Kahlo was often pictured in male attire to “make a statement about her own independence from feminine norms. She was a masterly and magical exponent of cross-dressing, deliberately using male ‘drag’ to project power and independence.”

[joeybee12]

1. She looks like Olivia DeHavilland without make-up...

The movie about her is pretty good...made me want to learn more about her.

[xchrom]

2. i knew all of this already -- but i love they make a point of her use of Drag.

we talk about it with men -- not so much among women.

[joeybee12]

3. Yup, drag with women is considered an anomoly...

This is making me want to get a book about her at the library when I head over this week to return stuff..

[xchrom]

4. when i was a young queen -- it was all Drag King and Queen --

especially out in smaller communities -- it's part of how lgbtiq communities grew and communicated.

it's changed quite a bit since then. it still happens in suburbs and smaller places -- but not so much in bigger cities it seems like.

[TeeYiYi]

6. There's still a huge community of...

...young and hip drag kings in Salt Lake City...

Salt Lake has one of the largest gay communities in the United States.

TYY

[xchrom]

7. that's nice to hear. nt

[TeeYiYi]

8. Queens too...

I didn't mean to leave anyone out. There's a huge trans community in Salt Lake.... Lots of gender diversity.

TYY

[xchrom]

9. no -- that's cool.

for a long time i saw little in the way of drag kings -- so i was afraid it was a thing of the past -- i'm happy to see interest out there.

[TeeYiYi]

5. LOVE Frida Khalo...

TYY

[William769]

10. Recommended.

[Call Me Wesley]

11. A great influence for me. (K&R)

A great artist, a humble, passionate and enduring being as well as a great inspiration.

[Starry Messenger]

12. Love her.

I got to go to Casa Azul in Mexico City last summer. Totally amazing. I've always had the thought that she also used drag to mess with the male surrealists who, despite being 'iconoclasts' could be very conventional when it came to gender. She enjoyed taking jabs at their non-surreal hypocrisy in some areas.

[Rowdyboy]

13. She was truly amazing....

We have a wonderful reproduction self-portrait of her in an Elizabethan collar that I love. It was one of the treasures from our first trip to Merida, Yucatan last year.

[TeeYiYi]

14. Kick with a sexy pic...

TYY