00:00You'd know her face, but how much do you really know about Frida Kahlo?
00:07She was an artist in the whole meaning of the word because everything for her was an
00:13opportunity to express herself.
00:16To help build an understanding of the Mexican artist, a collection of Kahlo's personal belongings
00:21have been packed with care and shipped to Bendigo Art Gallery all the way from her childhood
00:27home.
00:28It was very challenging, all the packing process, to share a little bit of the Blue House here
00:35in Bendigo.
00:37Over the last few weeks, staff have spent hours unpacking and carefully preparing hundreds
00:42of items for display.
00:44It's a coup for the Bendigo Art Gallery as it's rare for these pieces to leave Kahlo's
00:49home, let alone Mexico.
00:51This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, they're fragile, they're Mexican national
00:55treasures, they will never be back in this country within our lifetime.
01:00The exhibit includes hand-woven garments, the sleeves of which are still coloured in
01:05paint and cigarette burns.
01:07Frida was a woman who was ahead of her time, who was already dealing with her experiences
01:14of disability, her ethnicity, her gender identity and her political views expressed through
01:22her garments.
01:24These traditional Mexican skirts are part of Frida Kahlo's signature look and also
01:28hid the fact that she had one leg shorter than the other due to childhood polio.
01:34In fact, it's that mix of her appearance with her personal life and her art that's one aspect
01:39of her enduring appeal.
01:41Well, I think that this exhibition allows you to know Frida in a different way, in a
01:47deep way.
01:48Getting to know the person behind the face with the flower crown.
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