Frida Kahlo digital art exhibit at ArtScience Museum
Ask any art lover, and they’ve probably heard of artist Frida Kahlo, who is considered one of the greatest artists from Mexico. However, not many know about her life behind the canvas. This May, you can take a deep dive into her personal life and journey as an artist with Frida Forever, an event made up of 2 exhibitions at ArtScience Museum.
The exhibition will open its doors from 4th May to 1st September 2024. Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a 3-hour long film memoir. Rather you’ll be able to literally step into the shoes of Frida Kahlo through an AR movie, interactive paintings, and 360-degree projections.
What to know before going to the Frida Kahlo exhibit at ASM
Image credit: Layers of Reality
Whether or not you are familiar with Frida Kahlo’s works, this exhibition will teach you more than just art. After all, Frida Kahlo was an iconic global symbol of feminism in the 20th century. She was also an active supporter of Mexican communism and often integrated these elements into her artwork. Think of it as a Mexican social studies case study, only way cooler.
Image credit: Layers of Reality
Even if you’ve seen all her paintings in museums around the world, including one at National Gallery Singapore’s Tropical exhibition, this one is set to be an entirely different experience. Plus, don’t expect to see her original paintings in the flesh, either. Instead of her oil paintings on canvases or masonite boards, Frida Forever will feature her artworks translated into digital art.
Frida Forever will be split into 3 different sections: Frida Kahlo: The Life of an Icon (from $19), Laid Bare: Frida’s Inner World ($6), and Exquisite Corpse. Different tickets will be required for the various sections, and you’ll be required to purchase the Frida Forever VIP Package to get access to Exquisite Corpse, a VR experience.
In an industry dominated by men, Frida’s work managed to appeal to everyone, including surrealists.
Image credit: blit & IDEAL
Do note that the VR segment of the exhibit is not recommended for people who have epilepsy, schizophrenia, claustrophobia, and those who are sensitive to flashing lights.
See Frida Kahlo’s diary pages & medical records
Image adapted from: Christina Kahlo Alcalá, Museo de Filatelia de Oaxaca & Diego Rivera
If you’re planning to do the entire experience, perhaps you’d want to start your journey of Frida Forever at Laid Bare: Frida’s Inner World. This exhibition was curated with the support of Cristina Kahlo Alcalá, the great niece of Frida Kahlo, and will give you a fresh perspective of the artist’s life.
This exhibit includes close to 40 photographs, diary pages, contemporary artworks, and medical records. For context, as a child, she suffered from polio and was seriously injured in a bus accident at 18, leaving her bedridden for 3 months. Her art is greatly influenced by her medical condition as it was during this time that she turned to painting as means of self-expression.
Frida Kahlo and Dr Juan Farrill, who did 7 surgeries on her spine in 1951. Once she recovered, she thanked him by painting a self-portrait of him with her heart as a colour palette.
Image credit: Giselle Freund | IMEC | fonds MCC
Since the artist is known for her self-portraits, this section will show you how her medical history and relationship with her body – and how these struggles have influenced her artistic work. It’ll give you an intimate understanding of the artist beyond her public persona.
Interactive installations & 360-degree projections
A previous exhibition, Immersive Biography at IDEAL Centre D’Arts Digitals in Barcelona, 2022.
Image credit: Layers of Reality
If you have to choose just one exhibition, don’t miss Frida Kahlo: The Life of an Icon. We foresee this to be the highlight of Frida Forever, with the artist’s iconic vibrant colour palette and textures.
These VR exhibitions allow you to see the world through Frida Kahlo’s eyes.
Image credit: Layers of Reality
Image credit: Layers of Reality
This is where you’ll find historical photographs, original films, digital art, and interactive installations spread across 8 spaces. You can move freely through the different spaces, and learn about the artist’s journey from a budding medical student as a teen to the Frida Kahlo we’ve come to know today.
With various references to Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, you may be greeted by a sense of eeriness. Given that Frida’s work is heavily influenced by Mexican culture and her lifelong closeness with death, we’ll say that’s about right.
Image credit: Layers of Reality
Image credit: Layers of Reality
In past exhibitions around the world like Viva Frida Kahlo in Berlin, art lovers were able to marvel at her paintings projected onto walls up to 18m-long and 5.5m-high. This is complemented by audio guides by a narrator and an acoustic soundtrack dreamt up specially for the exhibition.
Immerse yourself in art at Frida Forever
Image credit: blit & IDEAL
Once you’re done with the 2 exhibitions, we’d recommend popping by Exquisite Corpse, presented in ArtScience Museum’s VR Gallery. Using VR technology, visitors will be transported into the dreamlike landscape of Frida’s paintings.
Image credit: Layers of Reality
Whether or not you were familiar with Frida Kahlo before this, Frida Forever is a great opportunity to get cultured without sitting through a boring art history lesson. Tickets are on sale from 17th April 2024, so mark your calendars.
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More art galleries & exhibitions to check out:
- Singapore City Gallery
- Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark
- Free art exhibits
- Naruto: The Gallery
Cover Image adapted from: Layers of Reality