Barrio Logan:
By Elena Victoria Marques

“I leave you my portrait so that you will have my presence all the days and nights that I am away from you.”

– Frida Kahlo

A quote perhaps more true then she realized, leaving us all with her grand presence over 60 years after her death. She is a surrealist queen and an icon, and Barrio Logan was filled with Fridas this past Saturday at the first annual Frida Art Show at La Bodega, which was a huge success in more ways then one.

The artwork was stunning, from the bright iconic portraits to the weird and surreal mimicking her signature style of using symbolism and scenes buried in scenes. So stunning in fact, half the show sold on the opening night.

It was clearly an act of love, her spirit was truly alive in that building from the bright flags, the altar in her honor, to the fresh new mural of her well known portrait on the front of La Bodega by Sonia Lopez Chavez.

They also invited everyone to participate in a Frida lookalike contest, and the crowd loved it, with dozens of people, adults, and children at the show with flowers in their hair, huipils and unibrows.

The art was incredibly impressive, far from the same Frida images seen over and over again. Some of her most impressive work, is often the work the least seen, lost in the commercialization. She was an amazing surrealist with layers upon layers of intricate scenes in her paintings, incredible landscapes, and visions of her own pain, suffering and thoughts…so I was so excited to see so much of the art including these elements of her body of work.

I think a lot of artists, especially in our art district centered around Chicano Park, look to the older Mexican giants such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in our own work, sometimes without even knowing it, and it was beautiful to see such a large scale group show, channel her so well, and with so much love.

In the words of Chris Zertuche and Sonia Lopez Chaves, owners of La Bodega Gallery, “The Frida Kahlo Group Art show was a phenomenal success. We were so honored and humbled to host such a special event. Over 50 talented artists showcased art work. With over 2,000 people attending our gallery was full of vibrant energy and beautiful faces. We couldn’t of wishes for a better turn out. This show was a great way to honor and celebrate Frida Kahlo. We look forward to next year’s second annual Frida Kahlo Festival”.

The show runs until July 28, so I definitely encourage everyone to see it before it’s gone.

On a more somber note, the third “43 artists & musicians for Ayotzinapa” fundraiser is this upcoming Saturday, at the Centro Cultural de la Raza at Balboa Park from 6-10pm. I’ve written about it many times, but this Saturday will be the last in the area for a while before the art work moves on to Arizona and Nevada before returning home at the end of the year to Southwestern College.

It’s a growing collection of artwork, created by artists, each one to represent a student, to raise money for the families of the missing students who have left their crops and low wage jobs to find their children.

This show will be commemorating 10 months since the mass kidnapping in Iguala, Guerrero on September 26, 2014 and the parents are facing roadblock after roadblock in reaching answers to what has happened to their sons, and amidst their horrendous pain living a parents’ worst nightmare, are also struggling to survive financially.

I invite you to join us with four bands, from both sides of the border, merch and gifts, paintings, food from Salud Taco shop on Logan Ave. The $5 cover charge goes directly, along with the rest of what we raise, into the joint back account of the parents, so we hope to see you there.