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Artworks
Yasumasa Morimura Osaka, Japan, b. 1951
An Inner Dialogue with Frida Kahlo (Dialogue With Myself 2), 2001Color photograph162 × 194 cmFurther images
In 'Inner Dialogue with Frida Kahlo', Morimura transforms himself into the iconic Mexican artist, renowned for her vivid, surreal self-portraits. Through this act of embodiment, he explores the fluid boundaries...In 'Inner Dialogue with Frida Kahlo', Morimura transforms himself into the iconic Mexican artist, renowned for her vivid, surreal self-portraits. Through this act of embodiment, he explores the fluid boundaries of identity, inspiration, and artistic homage:
"As I am being inspired by you, Doña Frida, I drink in what I like to think of as your essence so as to create a Frida of my own, in my own mind’s eye... In that fantastic sphere, the various elements of Doña Frida and myself mix into a muddle, a chemical reaction occurs, creating this imaginary Frida of mine. I wanted to give form to what Doña Frida is to me. Via self-portraiture, that is."
The psychological depth of Kahlo’s work finds a particularly harrowing echo in A Few Small Nips, a painting that embodies her personal suffering—both physical and emotional. Inspired by a real-life crime reported in a newspaper, the piece portrays a woman "murdered by life," as Kahlo herself described her anguish, shaped by relentless pain and Diego Rivera’s betrayal. The work’s brutal theme draws from the courtroom testimony of the perpetrator, who, after repeatedly stabbing his lover, dismissed his crime with chilling nonchalance: "But I only gave her a few small nips."
Exhibitions
Naturally Naked. Gary Tatintsian Gallery. Aug –Dec, 2019
Yasumasa Morimura. One Artist's Theater at Gary Tatintsian Gallery, 18 October–30 November, 2006
Publications
Catalogue Yasumasa Morimura. One artist’s theatre. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, 2006. p. 251of 9