Fridas Welt
© SLT / Christian Krautzberger

Frida`'s World

Reginaldo Oliveira

Uraufführung: 19. Oktober 2024 / Landestheater

Synopsis

Frida Kahlo is an icon of Latin American painting. Her works are part of Mexico’s national cultural heritage and many of her motifs now decorate picture postcards and notebooks throughout the world. Kahlo’s eventful life attracts at least as much interest as her many autobiographical paintings that defy a precise stylistic categorization.

“I paint myself because I spend very much time alone and because I am the subject I know best.” Frequently bed-ridden due to illnesses in her childhood and the consequences of a serious traffic accident when she was 18 years old, she often painted herself. In the course of her life she created 55 self-portraits that reflect her inner conflicts and her physical impairments. Apart from painting, she also used alcohol and drugs as means to cope with her constant physical pain. Nevertheless, she lived her life with greater intensity than was to be expected from her medical history: As a Marxist, she represented an important voice in Mexico’s political struggle; as an artist, she travelled all the way to Europe; she had a tumultuous love life and corresponded with many influential people of her time.

Reginaldo Oliveira explores the many facets of the artist and person Frida Kahlo, using the emotional power and the expressive colours of her works as a source of inspiration for his choreography.

The Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) saw her first solo exhibition in her home country only towards the end of her short life. The feminist movement of the 1970s sparked much international interest in her oeuvre and unique personality which continues unbroken until today, even though the Mexican government has declared that her works may not leave the country since they form part of its national cultural heritage.

Reginaldo Oliveira, head of the ballet division, staged a tribute to the Brazilian way of life with his choreography “Balacobaco” in 2018. Now he takes us to the Latin America continent once more, supported by stage designer Matthias Kronfuss. Together, the team recently charmed Salzburg audiences with their interpretation of “The Sleeping Beauty”.