Delphine Blast | Mujeres: The Beat of a Wing

8 MARCH - 13 APRIL 2024

Koslov Larsen 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.

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Cholitas

The iconic bowler hat, the long black braids, the adjusted corset and the brightly colored puffed skirt: their outfit is well known all around the world. The heavily mythologized cholitas are a strong symbol of Bolivian history and longevity.

Culturally and politically discriminated against throughout the modern history of Bolivia, the cholitas have reemerged as a driving force in society. In ways that were unimaginable 10 or 20 years ago, their current influence is undeniable in the economic, political, and even fashion worlds. The cholitas have found a place in contemporary society without denying their collective past. They are an expression of the dignity of indigenous populations.

Delphine Blast’s photographic series aims to renew insight into Bolivian womanhood. It also carries with it affirmations of identity and reflects progressive social changes as the country moves steadily forward.
Delphine Blast, Flowers of the Isthmus, 2020

Flowers of the Isthmus

On the isthmus of Tehuantepec, in southern Mexico, Zapotec women are known for their independence, strength, and perseverance. Recognizable by their colorful traditional dress, the proud heritage of a civilization dating back over two thousand years, the women of the Mexican isthmus have inspired many artists, like Frida Kahlo, and have gradually gained international fame.

A central element of their identity, Zapotec use of costume varies depending on the occasion. The unique headpiece can be worn a variety of ways: framing the face, inverted, even carried backwards during festive celebrations. The design of the skirts, the embroidery, and the variations on how pieces are worn, often reflect the individuality of the wearer — their region, beliefs, relationship status, and so on.

In order to pay tribute to the young generation of Zapotec women, Blast invited them to pose in full costume in a studio. Each portrait is framed by a traditional Mexican oilcloth, making each photo unique, like the Zapotec outfits, flamboyant and delicate at the same time.
Delphine Blast, Dancing Flare #2, Mariana, 2019

Dancing Flare

Dance has the power to open an inner path leading to the surpassing of oneself, of one’s body but also of one’s mind and soul. In observing Mexican dancers, Blast states “I became imbued with this universal energy invoking this state of transcendence that transforms us and opens consciousness. Driven by the drunkenness of music and its rhythm, the body is taken in a dizziness that leads to a state of abandon and a form of sacred deliverance. Between reality and the realm of fancy, conscious and unconscious, the body and the spirit intertwine in the same impulse of life to better rise and surpass themselves, finally.”

This project was born in June 2019, when Blast met with the folk ballet dancers of Querétaro, who invited the artist to share in their most intimate world.
- Delphine Blast, Dancing Flare #1, Lorena, 2019
- Delphine Blast, Dancing Flare #10, Diana Laura, 2019
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Additional Works
ABOUT THE ARTIST

Delphine Blast is a French artist currently based in Paris. Portraiture occupies a central place in her photography-based work. Blast works on various social issues with a focus on women’s roles and their emancipation in changing societies. After working for many years in Latin America, she has recently expanded her practice to explore the legacies of cultural heritage across Africa. Over the years, Blast has turned toward more dimensional creations, integrating visual tools beyond straight photography into her work, thus exploring different forms of expression and life.

Blast’s work has won numerous awards and has been published in various magazines in France and internationally (such as National Geographic, Geo, and Marie-Claire). She is a member of Women Photograph, a non-profit that launched in 2017 to elevate the voices of women and nonbinary visual journalists. Her latest project, Flowers of the Isthmus, focuses on the indigenous community of Zapotec women in Mexico. This series has been shortlisted at the Sony Awards, exhibited in many festivals, and the eponymous book won the IPA Photo Book of the Year. Other bodies of work include Cholitas, an exploration of the traditional dress of the indigenous women of Bolivia, and Dancing Flare, a dynamic look at the mesmerizing rhythms and costuming of traditional Mexican dance. Blast’s work is a celebration of identity, womanhood, and female liberation.

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