Editor’s Letter
‘No one seems capable of resisting either the character or caricature of Frida Kahlo’, writes Catherine Lacey in this issue’s cover feature, which considers the treasured artist’s evolution into a global brand. While Kahlo understood the role her image played in her artistic success, Lacey argues that its more recent ‘souvenir-ification’ in ‘myriad trinkets’ does much to mask the true, radical nature of Kahlo’s life and art.
A sense that life’s fullness might not adequately be expressed by images and objects also marks the art of Ana Mendieta, who turned away from painting to embrace the ‘magic’ of film, performance and sculpture, often working in collaboration with her students. We could also look to Julio Le Parc, whose participatory artworks have challenged traditional ideas of sculpture, or the inclusive, performance-led practices of Yvonne Rainer and Lina Lapelytė.
Aleksandra Kasuba pursued another alternative to making objects, harnessing modern materials to create live-in environments that encourage new ways of existing and interacting in nature. Meanwhile, Zineb Sedira has opened an installation at the heart of Tate Britain inspired by her love of revolutionary cinema, offering us the opportunity to sit, imagine and discuss new stories. and reflect, We hope these very pages can also offer a space to slow down and reflect, McNeill Whistler with new poetry from Oluwaseun Olayiwola on James McNeill Whistler, Anthony Anaxagorou on Tracey Emin and Dean Browne on William Blake. But if the pool, the garden or even the fair are more what you’re looking for this summer, we have plenty for you too.
Come on in,
Enrico Tassi
