Arts

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibition to headline Art Gallery of South Australia program in 2023

An Australian-exclusive exhibition, Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution will open at the Art Gallery of South Australia in 2023.

An Australian-exclusive exhibition, Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution will headline the 2023 program at the Art Gallery of South Australia. The exhibition will kick off on 24 June 2023.

Iconic works by two of the most influential and loved artists of the twentieth century – Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera – will feature alongside works by their contemporaries in an exhibition that reveals the vitality of modern Mexican art while exploring the enduring allure of Kahlo.

Passion and politics lie at the heart of this major exhibition. Radical in their art and politics, Kahlo and Rivera were at the forefront of the artistic and cultural avant-garde in post-revolution Mexico from the 1920s to the 1950s. Today they are celebrated for their fusion of traditional Mexican folk art and embrace of modernism.

Featuring more than 150 works, including paintings, works on paper, photographs, video and period clothing, this significant exhibition from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection positions Kahlo and Rivera within the broader context of Mexican Modernism. It also includes works by Manuel and Lola Álvarez Bravo, Miguel Covarrubias, María Izquierdo, Carlos Mérida, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Yasumasa Morimura and others.

AGSA Director Rhana Devenport ONZM says, “Each generation brings a new lens through which to view the phenomenon that is Frida Kahlo. A twenty-first century muse, Kahlo is today revered as a feminist and as a singular political and creative force. Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution speaks to the influence and ingenuity of art practice in Mexico and aims to recontextualise the foremost presence of Kahlo within our society today.”

Tansy Curtin, AGSA’s Curator of International Art, Pre-1980 says, “Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution is the most comprehensive exhibition of Mexican Modernism ever seen in Australia, from the unrivalled collection of Jacques and Natasha Gelman. Close friends of Kahlo and Rivera, the Germans were pioneering collectors who formed an outstanding collection of works representing Mexican Modernism.

This exhibition will immerse visitors in the creative and vibrant milieu of Mexico’s art world in the first half of the twentieth century – from the beginnings of the Mexican cultural revolution to Kahlo and Rivera’s turbulent love affair.

Kahlo was unflinching in her exploration of self-identity. While her physical body may have limited her, Kahlo’s resilience and creativity soared, resulting in bold and commanding statements which retain their social, cultural and feminist potency and continue to resonate with people today.”

The Honourable Zoe Bettison MP, Minister for Tourism and Multicultural Affairs says, ‘I’m thrilled that the Art Gallery of South Australia and the South Australian Tourism Commission have collaborated to present this internationally significant exhibition – an Australian exclusive that can only be experienced in Adelaide.

“We know people from far and wide will make their way to Adelaide for our exclusive arts and culture offerings. Visitors will not only get to enjoy iconic works by two of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, but also the world-class collection at the Art Gallery of South Australia – at the heart of our boutique capital which offers intriguing laneway bars, diverse restaurants, and bespoke hotels.

“This year, Robert Wilson: Moving portraits and Archie 100 brought almost 14,000 interstate visitors to Adelaide – and I’m sure this exhibition will be no different. There is no better destination for this Australian exclusive event, which is part of a suite of world-class arts and cultural events that drives visitation to South Australia beyond the Mad March season.”

The Honourable Andrea Michaels MP, Minister for Arts says, “The Art Gallery of South Australia’s presentation of Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution is of national significance – offering Australian audiences the chance to experience an important period in history reflected through paintings, drawings and photographs by internationally renowned artists.”

Through their exhibition design, renowned South Australian architects Grieve Gillett Andersen will transport visitors into the world of Kahlo and Rivera, inspired by their home and studio ‘La Casa Azul’ and reflecting the vibrancy of Mexican culture.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a new publication, produced by the Art Gallery of South Australia, and a dynamic and engaging series of public programs and events.

Rivera’s profound political and artistic influence. Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution is on display at the Art Gallery of South Australia from 24 June to 17 September 2023.

Frida & Diego is only the start though, with a strong line up for 2023.

Rhana Devenport ONZM, Director, AGSA, says, ‘The Art Gallery of South Australia promises a year of vivid experiences, potent conversations and original exhibitions that can only be experienced at AGSA in 2023. Visitors will have the opportunity to encounter the art of some of the most celebrated artists of our century.’

In an AGSA exclusive, Andy Warhol & Photography: A Social Media will open as part of the Adelaide Festival in March. Social Media will bring together more than 250 photographs, experimental films, screenprints and paintings from international public and private collections, to explore a candid and little seen side to the celebrated Pop artist and his obsession with photography. This exhibition poses the question: was Warhol the original influencer?

The first-ever survey exhibition of Western Aranda artist Vincent Namatjira opens in October as a highlight of the 2023 Tarnanthi Festival, AGSA’s much-anticipated celebration of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. With works that offer a wry look at the politics of history, power and leadership from a contemporary Aboriginal perspective, Vincent Namatjira: Australia in colour will tour to the National Gallery of Australia in 2024.

In 2023, the popular Tarnanthi Art Fair returns as a physical event, to be held at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, offering audiences a unique opportunity to meet First Nations artists from across the country and buy works of art ethically.

The $100,000 Ramsay Art Prize is back in 2023, offering Australian artists under the age of 40 working in any medium a career-defining opportunity. Selected by an esteemed judging panel, the finalists will feature in a major exhibition at AGSA in May with the winning work acquired into AGSA’s collection.

Other highlights include Milton Moon: Crafting modernism, an exhibition that contextualises Moon’s sixty-year practice in ceramics within the wider story of Australian art. The exploration of Japanese landscapes in works of art from the sixteenth century to the present day will be explored in Misty Mountain, Shining Moon. Co-presented with TarraWarra Museum of Art, the work of Aotearoa-born Australian artist Brent Harris will feature in the survey exhibition Surrender & Catch: The Art of Brent Harris, opening at TarraWarra Museum of Art in November 2023 and at AGSA in July 2024.

AGSA also opens three exhibitions over summer 2022-23: Bewilderness – a showcase ofrecent acquisitions in painting, sculpture, video and photography opens this weekend alongside Sera Waters: Future Traditions by South Australian artist Sera Waters. While Interwoven Journeys explores South Asian and South East Asian textiles and showcases the generous benefaction of Michael Abbott AO KC, opening in December 2022.

For full program details, visit agsa.sa.gov.au

Tickets are on sale here.

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