Mata Frida — Oil on Canvas, 30 × 40 in.

This work revisits the iconic figure of Frida Kahlo through Mata Lee’s distinctive visual language: a purified face, widely spaced eyes that seem to peer inward rather than outward, and a frontal presence that oscillates between softness and intensity.

Here, the floral crown—an emblem of Kahlo’s personal mythology—becomes a vibrant, almost sculptural motif that enters into dialogue with the simple, assertive geometry of the pink background. The saturated reds of the checkered shirt create a subtle tension with the delicate paleness of the face, reinforcing the contrast between strength, vulnerability, and self-possessed identity.

Through this contemporary reinterpretation, the artist explores the notion of creative lineage: what remains of an icon once the biographical drama is stripped away? Mata Lee offers a meditative, refined, almost silent response—a grounded feminine presence that carries Frida’s legacy not as a burden, but as an inner architecture.

Available at Galerie Québec Art: https://galeriequebecart.com/profile/mata-lee/