Koslov Larsen (formerly Foto Relevance) is pleased to present Mujeres: The Beat of a Wing, a solo show by gallery artist Delphine Blast. This show is presented in association with the 2024 FotoFest Biennial: Critical Geography, which reexamines traditional Western and historical understandings of geography while investigating shifting and emerging relationships with the land. Mujeres: The Beat of a Wing combines three acclaimed series: Flowers of the Isthmus, Cholitas, and Dancing Flare. Paying tribute to the indigenous women of Latin America, Blast’s work follows the Zapotec women of Tehuantepec, the Bolivian cholitas of the plains of the Altiplano, and the bright and colorful spirit of the folk ballet dancers of Querétaro, Mexico.
In Flowers of the Isthmus, the traditional dress of the Zapotec women is paired alongside bright backgrounds and oil cloth frames. The series celebrates the intricate and diverse ways in which traditional garments are worn by a new generation of women dedicated to proudly preserving their histories and cultural artifacts. Vibrant and almost sculptural, the intricate garments have inspired many artists over the years, including Frida Kahlo.
The Cholitas series follows the style of dress worn by the indigenous Aymara peoples of modern-day Bolivia. Posed in front of traditional fabrications, the rounded compositions encase and bring attention to the movement qualities of the dresses and shawls. Blast emphasizes an intent to “highlight the cholitas' very special outfits, inspired by Andean traditions, but above all to reveal their femininity, elegance, and dignity.”
In the series Dancing Flare, the dancers of Querétaro, Mexico move energetically and dizzyingly throughout the images. Accentuated by longer exposures, the layered, spinning dresses linger in the air as new movements find their way into the images. Blast captures the spirit and body intertwining, celebrating the longevity of female artistic traditions in dance and costume.
Mujeres: The Beat of a Wing will be on view at Koslov Larsen from March 8 – April 13, 2024.
