Behind the scenes - the making of Frida

From Pain Comes Strength Homage to Frida: is a body of work celebrating the life of Frida Kahlo.  

Frida’s work is powerful and incredibly unique.  Her art is a strong statement of her inner personal life showing her struggles and ultimately her determined spirit - reasons why so many of gravitate to her and identify with her. Frida’s story connected us to our own stories of pain, vulnerability and finding our inner strength, our courage and our power as women.

The series has been exhibited three times in Australia since its first exhibition in 2017 and is the first time it is available on-line. It aims to tell the story of Frida’s experiences and her struggles with the traumatic physical and psychological events that took place during her life.  Objects and stylistic cues are used to reference the autobiographical nature of her work, the ever-present themes of death and questions of mortality, her strong individualistic nature, and her suffering.

From Pain Comes Strength Homage to Frida was inspired by four women who bonded over their love of Frida Kahlo and how Frida’s story connected them to their own stories of pain, vulnerability, and their struggles to make sense of it all. The personal nature of Frida’s work and her determined spirit are reasons why so many of us gravitate to her.

The women who developed this body of work are photographer Kris Ashpole; hair and make-up artist, Sabrina Melei, performing artist, Carly-Anne Evans; and stylist and set designer, Meg Ashpole.  

You can read more about my Frida Kahlo series celebrating strong women here and here. During the exhibition I held an artist talk and if you would like to hear more about the making of this work, click here to listen. Our kick-off Facebook Live is here.

I hope this series resonates with you as much as it does with me.

“I am my own muse. I am the subject I know best. The subject I want to better.” Frida Kahlo