I designed this exhibition in collaboration with curator Layla Bermeo and graphic designer Nick Pioggia.

This exhibition examined the influence of Mexican folk art on Frida Kahlo’s work. Many artists in Mexico City’s intellectual circles collected traditional folk art as a celebration of national culture. Kahlo collected and lived with these objects, drew inspiration from them, and incorporated their forms, colors, and materials into her paintings.

The case design, platforms, and color palette were inspired by the interiors of Kahlo’s home, La Casa Azul—particularly the dining room. Pale yellow walls and wood stained cases referenced the warmth in her domestic spaces while the shapes and proportions of the cases echoed the furniture she lived with. These design choices enhanced the mission of the show: to present the objects that surrounded and inspired Kahlo in a manner consistent with how she choose to display them.

The exhibition occupied two galleries on the 20th-century floor of the American Wing. To define the exhibition’s boundaries, I recreated the distinctive green door frames of La Casa Azul and incorporated them into the gallery thresholds.