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Being Frida Kahlo ... for 15 minutes




Photographer Camila Fontenele de Miranda, in her project ‘Todos Podem Ser Frida’ enables people to become Frida Kahlo for 15 minutes (Huffington Post 26 April 2016).

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was a Mexican artist. Brazilian photographer Camila Fontenele de Miranda commenced her project ‘Todos Podem Ser Frida’ (All Can Be Frida) in 2012 by inviting men, women, and children to stand in front of her camera dressed as Frida Kahlo. At first it was the colours that attracted de Miranda to Kahlo’s work, then the woman herself.

In 2012 de Miranda began the project with men, with the themes ‘Frida por Inteiro’ (Entire Frida), ‘O Amor de Frida’ (Frida’s Love), ‘As Cores de Frida’ (Frida’s Colours), ‘A Dor de Frida’ (Frida’s Pain), and ‘O Aborto de Frida’ (Frida’s Abortion). All of the themes correlate with Kahlo’s life after she was involved in a traffic accident, resulting in being confined to her bed. From her bed, she began to paint. Most of her work are self-portraits. Kahlo said, ‘I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.’ The pain of the accident continued throughout her life.

De Miranda wanted to explore gender fluidity because Kahlo herself initially dressed in men’s clothing before wearing the flamboyant and colourful dresses, skirts, and blouses.

De Miranda expanded her project to ‘All Can Be Frida’ to include women and children – anyone who wanted to be Frida Kahlo for 15 minutes. The project is continuing, and people can participate in the project for free. It takes about 15 minutes, dressing in Kahlo’s clothes with assistance from de Miranda’s studio team.

De Miranda thinks the interest in the project is that Kahlo is ‘a representation of what we became or what we want to become. Frida Kahlo was an inspiring human being, so much ahead of her own time … when I’m going through hard times I think about her and it brings me huge strength.’

Huffington Post’s Senior Arts and Culture Editor included the photographs below in the article. The top photo is one I took at a clothes shop – with the hand-drawn depiction of Frida Kahlo.





http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/all-can-be-frida-kahlo-photos_us_571e790de4b0b49df6a8a25f?utm_hp_ref=arts

MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).


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