F
Frida - Israel Varela
IN A WORD (OR TWO)
he idea of making a drum set with a Frida Kahlo theme first started to take shape in Rome. We were guests for dinner at Israel’s house, and after a bottle of Mezcal… well, they say alcohol brings out the truth… Israel started talking about how much he admired his compatriot, the immortal Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. When you speak from the heart, Respighi Drums simply has to listen, and the following morning on returning home to Milan it was decided: our next challenge was going to be an entire set painted with a Frida Kahlo theme.
“Feet, what do I need them for if I have wings to fly.”
– Frida Kahlo
WOOD ESSENCES & SPECS
Wood essences
Pioppo | Noce Americano
Kick Hoops
Padouk
Finish
dipinta a tema Frida Kahlo
Snare
14″ x 6.5″
Kick Drum
18″ x 14″
Tom
10″ x 7″ | 12″ x 7.5″
Floor Tom
14″ x 11″
NOTE: all the sizes of the drums are expressed in inches, diameter x depth
NOTES & CURIOSITIES
The philosophy behind the work
The blue that prevails throughout the set is the same color as Frida Kahlo’s house in Mexico and the paintings on the shells are reproductions of elements from inside it. There are parts of her artworks, too. The famous phrase from her diary “Feet, what do I need them for if I have wings to fly” appears on the kick drum. The snare is painted with patterns from one of the dresses she made for herself. The column and nails are reminiscent of a painting called “The Broken Column”, where Frida depicts herself pierced with nails and with a broken marble column in the place of her spine. She was exhausted from being bedridden for a long time after a serious road accident. It happened when she was young and she would never recover from it. The fact that she was for the most part housebound made home a special place where she lived her life. It was her point of reference for the outside world. Her house represented, and represents, Frida Kahlo. Another thing that we are proud of is that thanks to Israel Varela, this drum set will actually be played inside her house, which is now a museum.
Painter: Lisett Solano