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August 1 - August 31st 2019
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Artist: Eugenie Duvall
Exhibition Title: "Frida Kahlo"
Medium: Collage
About Eugenie:
Born in North Adelaide. Raised in Port Lincoln.
A late bloomer in the art world, I have a fascination with Frida Kahlo. On my way home from shopping with a trolley full of groceries, I happened upon a Frida collage workshop. I enrolled immediately and commenced 2 days later. And so started my collage journey.
Each collage takes approximately 7 weeks to complete. Each ‘Frida’ has a theme and I also like to incorporate my own social, political, whimsy & absurd views into the collage. Sometimes part of the collage will have nothing to do with any of that, it is just a picture or quote that I like. I like to use bright colours as it reflects my optimistic outlook on what I wish the world to be.
My message in the pieces is that there is always a bright side to life no matter the circumstance – all obstacles can be overcome.
Frida’s story is one of overcoming enormous obstacles, both physically and emotionally and her paintings were the result of her determination not to let these obstacles stand in her way.
Artists that I admire and inspire me are Picasso, Gabriel Orozco, John Olsen, Ben Quilty & Jeanette Baker.
My work was recently exhibited in Studio Vino for their “Faces of Frida” exhibition over the 2019 Fringe Festival.
Exhibition Title: "Frida Kahlo"
"GIFT WITH PURCHASE"
11 year old Frida was not to know the turmoil that would unfold in her life as an adult.
The white part of the collage depicts the innocence of the child and the bright floral part signifies her “blooming” into adulthood.
She was bright, fortunate enough to be one of a few to enter medical school (and a female at that) but a horrific accident changed her life forever. Painting would now be her life. This piece depicts the turns life takes either early in life or later and the surprising gifts it brings.
Collage Size 76cm x 102cm $2,600
"CHRISTINA"
Frida cut her hair off when she discovered that her husband, Diego Rivera had an affair with her sister, Christina. I thought when I was doing this piece that a really lovely patchwork dress would suit. It looked awful so I pulled it all off and started again. I decided to do the leopard/cheetah print and it wasn’t until I was sitting one night looking at the piece that I realized that it was such an appropriate selection for her clothing because Diego did ‘cheat’ on her and as she found out ‘a leopard doesn’t change it’s spots’.
This is all paper. Size 76 x 102cm $2,600
"ENVIRONMENT"
Deforestation is the theme for this. A lot of Frida’s art has monkey’s in it (she had pet monkeys). Environmental issues are close to my heart and having a forest with gorilla’s and monkey’s which are endangered, was a natural background to make. The irony in this is Frida smoking. Tobacco plantations are grown on cleared rainforest land which in turn leaves less habitat for the native wildlife. Paper is the only medium in this piece.
"JULIEN"
When Frida first started to exhibit, Julien Levy gallery was the first exhibition. She was young, free and fresh in the art world. Her nudity reflects how comfortable she is at this time. The blue background theme is authenticity. There is no paint in this piece – only wool for her armpits – all else is paper.
Size: 102 x 76cm $2,600
"HOOKED"
This was my workshop piece. I knew straight away this is what I wanted to do. My first attempt at any art. I had no idea how to draw eyes, nose or mouth so the tutor painted these for me. The jewellery I made from clay. Her dress is wallpaper and paint.
Size: 76 x 102cm $2,600
"LOYAL"
In spite of infidelities (on both sides), Diego remained very close to Frida. He was always by her side if she needed him and especially as her health declined. The background shows her Mexican heritage (Diego’s as well), both of their commitment to the communist party and Diego’s mural art.
Size: 76 x 102cm $2,600
"DEEP"
A nerve wracking piece which was my first attempt with no tutor to help. I had to draw inspiration from Frida and persevered but found the eyes a challenge so decided to leave the eyes with no eyeballs which as it turned out ‘looked’ fine. The theme in this piece was her marriage crisis and the mental state of artists.
Size: 76 x 102cm SOLD
Frida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican artist who painted many portraits, self-portraits and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class and race in Mexican society. Wikipedia Born: 6 July 1907, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico
Died: 13 July 1954, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico
Died: 13 July 1954, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico
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On behalf of the Gallery we firstly acknowledge the land now known as Australia belonged to a Nation of People,widely sophisticated, Aboriginal people of Culture, With Gratitude to our Elders past, present and emerging, the Country's ancient Cultural heritage. Always Was, Always Will Be, Aboriginal Land.
We hope that by sharing the Stories of the Artworks more attention is paid to the land supporting us through the emmense Generational Knowledge of this Country Aboriginal people have. |