Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderon was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, 55 were self portraits and the other 88 works inspired by nature and artifacts of Mexico. She used a naive folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class and race in Mexican Society. Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. Aged 6 she got polio- afterwards she walked with a limp. Her father encouraged her to play football swim and wrestle to strengthen her body. Aged 18 Frida was very seriously injured. She nearly died when a bus crashed into a tram and a metal smashed right through her body… Bored after months recovering she began to paint again. Her father helped by hanging a mirror over her bed so she could paint a portrait of herself of while lying down… She loved animals and she had many pets who brightened her life. She married Diego Rivera a famous Mexican artist. Her injuries meant they were unable to have children. Many of her painting were inspired by her sadness about it. Diego became jealous when Frida also became famous. They divorced in 1939 and got married again in 1940 As she grew in fame and popularity her health grew worse. She had over 30 operations in her lifetime and lived in constant pain. She lost the battle with pneumonia and died at the age of 47. She has become more popular than her paintings. She is admired for her creativity, her bravery and for following her heart. 55 self portraits -I paint myself because I am so often alone, and because I am the subject I know best - Frida Kahl (She often painted herself as harsh and unattractive with heavy eyebrows and a moustache). Sources used Wikipedia Herstory ** by Katherine Halligan

One way to introduce a geography idea is to create a before/during/after picture. My pupils used to create a small example and then turn it into a large picture for display.

Shirin’s work centres on opposites religous/secular, East/West, masculine/feminine. She does not consider herself as an activist but sees her art *as an expression of protest, a cry for humanity When the Iran Revolution erupted in 1979 she was in the USA she wondered if she would ever see her family again. In 1990 she was reunited with her family in a very different Iran from the one she had left . It inspired her first major work Women of Allah which featured photographs of veiled women with overlaid text. It attracted global attention. It felt hear was someone who could describe what it was like to be an Iranian woman. Her art is too threatening for the Iranian Authorities so she has been in exile since 1996. Her art is a weapon on 2 fronts - against the Iran regime and the unreal perceptions of Iran held by the West. Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Wangechi is primarily known for her painting, sculpture, film and performance work. She has established her career in New York City and lived there for more than 20 years. She has directed the female body as subject through collage painting, immersive installation and live and video performance while exploring questions of self -image, gender constructs, cultural trauma, and environmental destruction and notions of beauty and power. Her work often centred on Black women’s bodies.Her Afrofuturist worldscapes confront the pain and discourse of our time. Her art work allowed her to release her anxiety following the 9/11 terrorists attacks. She created beautiful collages using paints, inks and cut-outs from magazines, In 2003 she was invited to take part in a group exhibition with 12 other artists - a major turning point in her career. In 2018 she created scuptures for the exterior niche of the facade for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is the founder of* Africa’s Out* a platform to* advance change through the power of art and activism.* Wangechi has exhibited across the world, an artist attuned to some of the most complex nuances of the 21st century. Sources Wikipedia RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Have Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Na Hye-sok’s art name was Jeongwol. She was a pioneering Korean Feminist writer and painter, She was both the first female professional painter and writer in Korea. She created some of the earliest Western-style painting in Korea. She also published feminist novels and short stories. She rejected the traditional** Good Wife, Wise Mother** ** Kyonghur* was her major written work (1918) concerned a woman’s self discovery and her subsequent search for meaning as a ’ new woman’. Na had her first painting exhibition in 1921. She participated in many exhibitions -some sold for 350 won (US $3,000 today). On 10th April 1920 she married Kim Woo-young. He divorced her in 1931 on grounds of infidelity. She lost her children and property Despite the divorce and disgraced reputation she continued to paint and write. In 1931 she published A Divorce Testimony. Her views were regarded as scandalous and shocking. She had advocated ‘test marriages’ to avoid a repeat of her unhappy marriage . Korean Confucian culture considered premarital sex taboo. This ultimately ruined her career. She died destitute and alone on 10th December 1948 in a charity hospital. The location of her grave is unknown. She became known as a feminist because of her criticism of the institute of marriage in the early 20th century. She has recently been acknowledged In Korea for her artistic and literary accomplishments. Soel Arts Centre in 2000 opened a retrospective exhibition of her works. Sources Wikiped RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi

Cecil has always loved painting real life. ** Her artwork runs soft, oil-dipped paintbrushes over our eyes and asks us to remember that black people are vibrant. Her first art exhibition I see in Colour reminds us that we can live as loudly as we desire Sophia Thakur * Souces Wikipedia *Superheroes *by Sophia Thakur