(Image from Osceola Arts)
This year’s “Unusual Frida: Juried Art Show,” and Frida Kahlo-themed art exhibit, is being showcased at Osceola Arts in Kissimmee this month.
“Each artist selected for the Unusual Frida exhibition has created a Frida Kahlo-inspired masterpiece. Unique works representing love, tragedy, suffering, passion, courage, and pain, showcasing Frida in a way that has never been seen before,” Osceola Arts said in a press release.
“Unusual” founder Raysa Molina first learned about Kahlo as a 16-year-old. She learned about Kahlo as a feminist first and an artist second and has been interested in her and her work since then.
“The impact of Frida Kahlo is going to stay forever for generations to come,” Molina says. “Frida lived 100 years ahead of her time.”
The first “Unusual” show was held in December 2018, where 25 local artists had their works on display. The exhibit has grown since with this year’s exhibit featuring 47 pieces from 29 cities across Florida.
Since that initial show, Molina has changed “Unusual” from a small art show to a larger event featuring mariachi bands, a marketplace and a fashion show. She spent several months planning the last art show, which was held at Leu Gardens last month.
The Osceola Arts exhibit is smaller, but more accessible. The exhibit will be open through the end of March and it is free to the public.
“Now, a lot of people will have the opportunity to go to the show,” Molina says. “I’m really, really happy with this.”
Alexandra Vasconcelos, an artist whose work is on display at the exhibit, says Kahlo and her work means a lot to her because there are not very many well-known Hispanic artists.
“I always liked her growing up. My eyebrows now are really small, but I used to have a unibrow growing up. They used to call me ‘The Little Frida’ back home,” Vasconcelos says.
Vasconcelos submitted her work to the exhibit in the hopes of expanding her audience. Prior to learning of the exhibit, she had already created three works that related to Kahlo.
“I love her art,” Vasconcelos says. “It’s like you see you a little bit in that person.”
Molina is already working on making next year’s “Unusual” showcase bigger and better. She plans to make next year’s showcase available for artists across the country and hopes to have 100 pieces of art displayed.
Over the last few years, Molina has dedicated herself to sharing Kahlo’s legacy with others.
“This exhibit is not only celebrating the life and the legacy of Frida Kahlo, it’s doing it in a really emotional way,” Molina says. “You’re not going to see a traditional portrait about Frida Kahlo. That’s the whole point of this exhibit.”
“Unusual Frida: Juried Art Show” is on display at Osceola Arts in Kissimmee through March 31. For more information, visit OsceolaArts.org.
