“Casa Azul” an all-women tribute show for Frida Kahlo at House of Frida, Bacolod, Philippines.
I participated in a regional group exhibition in Bacolod. This is the first time I’d get to exhibit my work outside of Manila.
“The artists that were invited are all women and queer artists. When Frida was alive she was Othered. There was a newspaper article that spoke of her saying, ‘Diego Rivera’s wife dabbles in painting’, something like that. This is why I meant for only women and queer artists to enter. I think it’s proper when talking about Frida’s life and work.’” explains Ginoe, a queer artist who masterminded and curated the tribute show.
“Casa Azul” at House of Frida, Bacolod is curated by Ginoe Ojoy. Ginoe is one of the most promising young artists I have come across in the local art scene during this time. I first met him online through a common acquaintance and then in person during his first exhibition in Manila titled “Good Mourning” in 2018. Later that year, I got to interact with him more during an assignment in Roxas City for Viva ExCon where he was involved as an exhibiting artist.
I thought about how I should respond to this invitation considering that it is a tribute show to Frida Kahlo. The exhibition guideline was mainly to submit a piece that is mostly colored blue and we were free to make work as we pleased.
In response, I decided to honor the memory of Frida through a series of nine images that detailed her life. As an artist known for self-portraits pioneering the “selfies” of her time. I saw a parallel to how Millenials go about documentation themselves.
I had to comb through a lot of her photos, researching which images would best give a glimpse into her life. These were the nine images I imagined Frida herself might post on her Instagram feed if she had one today.
As a Manila-based artist sending work to the province proved to be the most difficult part of this experience. I have often felt that persuading regional artists to show their work in Manila is the way to go. Yet when I was faced with working around the logistics of sending artwork to the province, I started to see logistical challenges that self-funded artists have with regard to shipping. This experience put things in perspective for me even if I had only one work to send.
And here is my final print.
@FridaKahlo Best 9
Stamp on Paper (1/2 Edition)
12 x 12 in
2019
Marz Aglipay
The exhibition ended in late July 2019 and as of the present, I haven’t gone about getting my work back. Now I have another good reason to go to Bacolod.
