Frida Kahlo is internationally renowned for her art, but a recent exhibition at the Mexican Cultural Institute blended her artistic legacy with her culinary traditions.
The exhibition, presented by Jarritos and hosted by the Mexican Cultural Institute of the Embassy of Mexico in the U.S., was staged in honor of the Institute’s 35th anniversary. Mara Cristina and Mara de Anda, two great-granddaughters of the famed Mexican painter, joined the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The exhibition is divided into three sections showcasing aspects of Kahlo’s personal life, including her food recipes and a replica of the Kahlo family kitchen, which is situated outside of the historic building. Multiple statues of Kahlo were also installed in the solarium.
A representative from Jarritos, Kahlo’s great-granddaughters, MCI Executive Director Alejandra Martínez Silva, and Rafael Ruvalcaba—chef, business leader, and host of Los Sabores de mi México—were present at the opening.
“This particular ‘Fridas’ that you see out here, I believe they’re a total of 10 or 14. I don’t recall, but they were painted by local artists in Mexico City,” Ruvalcaba told Diplomatica Global. A “Frida” is a statue of Kahlo. “For anybody that’s there, they can do a scan on their phone, it will take them to who is the actual artist.”
Another part of the exhibition featured a display of Kahlo’s family recipes.
“This particular exhibition also brings something very good, which is, which is the cuisine with the launching of the cookbook,” Ruvalcaba added. “To me, everyone that knows Frida, the fact that she literally put together and or saved all these little recipes and notes. Before she passed away, she handed them to her sister Cristina. ‘Here you go, do whatever you want with them,’ right?”
These recipes have been compiled into a cookbook, which is now available for purchase.
“So they’ve stayed with the family. All of these little writings of the food and so forth. And a little bit of this, a little bit of that. And finally, the family thought, ‘you know what? We should do something about it,’” Ruvalcaba added. “So they went ahead and chose a great chef out of Mexico City, her name is Monica Patino. She went and looked at all the recipes and then dialed in the exact amounts, right, so that every one of us can know a teaspoon exactly.”
The kitchen, in particular, Ruvalcaba said, could not have been made without the support of the family of Kahlo.
“The key here is being able to work with the actual family, who, without their support, we couldn’t make this happen,” he added. “This particular exhibition showcases and comes from different angles of the family, right? The frontage of the house is a replica of the actual house in Mexico.”
The house is still there. In fact, the family lived in it up until last year, when plans were made for it to become a museum. That inauguration will take place on September 27. The red house, or “Casa Roja,” is adjacent to the famous “Casa Azul,” another museum about Kahlo which opened in 1958.
“Frida was such an icon, and everything she did, from the artwork and so forth, was really for the people,” Ruvalcaba added. “She really traveled all over the world with her husband, David Rivera, promoting the indigenous people, promoting the artwork, promoting the cuisine, in fact, everywhere she went, she dressed in that indigenous clothing. So she was always promoting Mexico and Indigenous people.”
The exhibit ran from June 6-28 at the Mexican Cultural Institute.
