Mexico City (AFP)

A digital exhibition marking the 114th anniversary of the birth of the Mexican Frida Kahlo brings to life in Mexico the most emblematic paintings of this painter far ahead of her time.

On giant screens and hangings, 26 of the famous painter's works parade, offering the public an immersive digital experience where videos, music and interactive elements merge, within the walls of Frontón México, a former art deco building in the Mexican capital.

Canvases such as "The Two Fridas" and "The Broken Column", as well as his famous self-portraits presented in digital montage form, follow one another against a background of traditional music.

"Frida. The immersive experience" synthesizes the life and work of this extraordinary woman born July 6, 1907 and died July 13, 1954, whose fate changed following a serious bus accident.

She will undergo numerous surgeries and will be forced to wear a corset.

During her years of suffering and treatment, she trained herself in painting.

The objective of the exhibition is "to make known the paintings of Frida, which have toured the world, while making them more familiar, even intimate", explains to AFP Mara de Anda, great-grandniece of the artist.

Sitting on stools on white sand, phones in hand to take photos and videos, visitors are immersed for around 35 minutes in Frida's tormented soul and burning heart.

"This experience makes it easier for everyone to get closer to Frida, to understand her, because her paintings are particular, sometimes difficult to understand," observes Diana Olguín, a 39-year-old Colombian visitor.

The images are enriched by digital applications and an interactive room, as well as poems and original music by Mexican singers.

"Many people don't like going to an exhibition where everything is more static. There, it's another approach to know this artist. I think that the new generations will love", estimates Frida Hentschel Romeo, the back - Kahlo's great-niece.

As part of the health protocol linked to the pandemic, all visitors are required to wear a mask, use disinfectant gel, and take the temperature at the entrance to the place.

"With the pandemic, for a year and a half, we have not been able to benefit from these experiences", notes Emiliano Díaz, a 21-year-old student who is delighted with this exhibition of a particular kind.

- The Mexican avant-garde -

Yet this is not the first time that Kahlo's work has resonated with technology.

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In 2018, Google Arts & Culture launched "The Faces of Frida", a virtual exhibition that compiled reviews from critics, virtual tours and works in high definition available to Internet users.

"Frida was so avant-garde and so modern that this format applies perfectly. She was a woman ahead of her time," said Mara de Anda.

Frida Kahlo is the most prominent modern Mexican artist in her country.

Wife of muralist and painter Diego Rivera, she was a member of the Mexican Communist Party.

His work is dominated by elements of the indigenous Mexican identity.

© 2021 AFP