Frida Kahlo’s prosthetic leg, traditional Tehuana dresses and cat-eye glasses, among other artefacts, have been meticulously documented by Japanese photographer Ishiuchi Miyako for a new exhibition which opens in London this week.
Frida by Ishiuchi Miyako is a visual documentation of the Mexican artist's wardrobe and belongings, which were kept
By presenting Kahlo’s possessions, Miyako tells a story of how the painter developed her style in her self-portraits. After contracting polio as a child and being involved in a near-fatal bus accident at 18, Kahlo was an invalid throughout her life. She was often bedridden because of her ailments and started painting herself as a way to pass the time, dressing in elaborate costumes to conceal the damage to her lower body.
Miyako, who is renowned for depicting the trauma of post-war Japan, won the prestigious Hasselblad Award in 2014 and has had two previous exhibitions displayed at the Michael Hoppen Gallery.
— Frida by Ishiuchi Miyako, Michael Hoppen Gallery, London, May 13-July 12.
