Frida Kahlo is an icon, and her image has widely circulated as a symbol of feminism, emancipation, and political commitment. In Diego y Yo (1949), Kahlo’s self-portrait takes up almost the entire canvas, and she has a portrait of Diego Rivera on her face. Kahlo gazes directly at the beholder. Her husband, Diego, on her forehead, dominates her thoughts. The three tears running down her cheeks are mirrored in Rivera’s three eyes. The third eye, symbolising visionary knowledge, shows what the anatomical eyes cannot perceive, revealing in Rivera an extraordinary psychic and creative conscience. In the portrait, Kahlo grieves her marital difficulties – her hair encircles her neck, seeming to suffocate her. Kahlo constructed her identity through her appearance, exploring the female body and its conventions. She is wearing a huipil, a typical blouse from Tehuantepec, a region of Mexico where women were protagonists in their societies. The Tehuanas embodied resistance to colonialism. Dressed like them, Kahlo affirms her Mexican identity, with the word “Mexico” emphasised next to her signature in the painting.
This is the first time the work of Frida Kahlo is presented at Biennale Arte.
—Florencia Malbrán
