The Daily Targum Spring Break Wrap

March 19, 2018

SPRING BREAK TARGUM TRAVELS

March 19, 2018

Spring Break Targum Travels

Milano gallery shows revealing, romantic Kahlo exhibit CLARISSA GORDON FEATURES EDITOR

As the fashion capital and financial hub of Italy, Milan is a city that’s naturally booming with art, entertainment and culture centers. Tourists typically book tickets months in advance to witness Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” and form lines down the block to enter the masterpiece that is il Duomo di Milano, but upon arriving in Milan, I craved a more non-traditional cultural experience. Luckily, on my last day in the city, I stumbled upon the Museo delle Culture (MUDEC), an exhibition space that was conveniently showing some of the most famous works of one of my favorite artists, Frida Kahlo.

Whoever has taken an art history class or seen the biopic starring Salma Hayek may know Kahlo as a depressed, disabled painter who was hopelessly in love with revolutionary muralist Diego Rivera, but this exhibition aimed to portray her multidimensionally.

And her artwork wasn’t the only thing that spoke for itself, as the exhibition featured an extensive — almost overwhelming — collection of personal photographs, letters and diary entries that were found in La Casa Azul, the home she shared with Rivera, that have only been accessible to the public until very recently.

As intimate as these artifacts were, it was the canvases portraying Kahlo herself that were the most chilling to see in the flesh.

Every self portrait Kahlo painted act as chapters to her autobiog-

Currently on display at Milan’s Museo delle Culture is a comprehensive Frida Kahlo exhibit.

Photos and diary entries from the Mexican artist, that have only recently been uncovered, were showcased with her most famous plaintings. CLARISSA GORDON raphy. Extremely personal and political, many of Kahlo’s works focus on the situations she faced as a woman, and she shamelessly tackled themes relating to the myths of pre-Hispanic tradition, gender identity and femininity that was so often overlooked in a male-dominated, misogynistic society. As she used her body as a manifesto to exhibit her own femininity and explore the complexity and fragility of human beings, Kahlo revolutionized women’s role in the art world.

As Kahlo endured chronic pain for most of her life, physical suffering and bodily mutilation were frequent themes in her work. She was a sickly child, and her pain became permanent in her adult

life when she was on a bus that collided with a tram, forcing her to wear a prosthetic leg and corset to support her spine for the rest of her life.

In “The Broken Column,” a self-portrait widely believed to be one of the most symbolic portraits she ever completed, Kahlo depicts herself in a steel corset that holds her broken body together — in real life her spine was injured, but in the painting, her body is literally split in two. Milk white tears stream down her passive face and nails are piercing her skin all throughout her body, the largest one hitting her right in the heart, symbolizing the emotional pain her on-and-off husband Rivera was causing her.

Because of her conditions Kahlo also suffered several miscarriages, misfortunes that Kahlo also violently portrayed in her art.

Through all of this agony, Kahlo’s face is still emotionless as it is in all of her self-portraits, a technique which has led many to believe that the faces she shows in her paintings are only masks that hide her true feelings.

Kahlo’s obsessive love for Rivera is also a reoccurring theme in her art, so much so that the museum dedicated an entire section of the exhibit to her artwork inspired

by Rivera as well as photographs of the couple left behind in La Casa Azul. Rivera, 20 years her senior, was a notorious womanizer, and the status of their passionate

yet volatile relationship was often reflected in her self-portraits.

In “Diego on my mind,” Kahlo depicts herself in a Tehuana, the traditional Mexican dress that Diego loved. In the center of her forehead she painted Rivera, putting a literal meaning on the painting’s title. Whether she loved him or hated him, Rivera had a prolific influence on Kahlo’s mind, body and soul — so much that her doctor prescribed them to remarry after deciding their separation was putting a strain on her health. Among the array of wedding portraits and photographs of the two kissing in a warm embrace scattered around the exhibit, a particularly eerie photo was one that captured Rivera standing over Kahlo as she painted “Diego on my mind,” which illustrated the complexity and possible abusiveness of their relationship.

Dedicated to the Mexican Revolution and her Latin and indigenous roots, Kahlo’s art also relied heavily on themes of politics and nature. The decline of her mental and physical health was most evident in her later works — mostly still lifes of fruit that lacked her signature meticulous detail due to the weakening of her body along with her tendency to mix pain medication with alcohol.

Albeit depressing at times, the colorful, passionate and unapologetic life’s work of Kahlo was inspiring and touching to see in person. I never thought Milan would be the place I’d come to appreciate a Mexican artist’s work, but it was evident that Frida is a cultural icon no matter where you are in the world.

NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART Raleigh, North Carolina is not a place immeidately associated with amazing visual arts, but the NCMA hosts a more than impressive permanent collection of works from artists like Mickalene Thomas and Kehinde Wiley, who painted former President Barack Obama’s official portrait and 30 Auguste Rodin sculptures. NCMA also sits in the middle of a 164-acre sculpture garden called Museum Park. BRITTANY GIBSON

March 19, 2018

Spring Break Targum Travels

Eating locally in LA includes more than comfort-zone picks

Los Angeles boasts a diverse and delicious food scene. Whether you’re a hardcore foodie or a Instagram plate-snapper, know that in the City of Angels there will be meals that can test your taste buds and make you feel at home. ALMIER MCCOY

ALMIER MCCOY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Within moments of arriving in Los Angeles, I felt like I was home.

Between the year-round warm weather, beachy scenery, friendly faces, and the abundance fresh food options, the west coast fit me like a glove. Although I stayed in a tourist hot spot — approximately five minutes away from the Hollywood walk of fame — I decided to

explore as more of a local and less like a tourist.

With the help of my iPhone and my friend from home who has been living in California for two years who acted like my tour guide, we randomly picked places that looked interesting. As an avid food lover, I was especially eager to try out casual restaurants in LA that specialize in that signature SoCal freshness.

The first stop on our spontaneous foodie list was Joe’s

Café, located in the Granada Hills neighborhood. Joe’s Cafe of fers homemade, gourmet brunch, which made stopping here the perfect star t to our day. They have a wide range of food options and drinks fit for any foodie.

As a food lover, I am always open-minded when it comes to new food experiences. Although I try and mix the selection up from the typical foods like pancakes

and French toast, while at Joe’s Café, I decided to start off safe.

This meant ordering short stack pancakes garnished with confectioner’s sugar, blueberries and strawberries, complemented with a bubbly mimosa — a quintessential brunch.

One of the great things about the Los Angeles food scene is that the majority of restaurants realize that many people conform to different restricting diets.

Being someone who is lactose intolerant, it is always challenging choosing a meal that consists of dairy free ingredients, but being in Los Angeles this was made easy and simple. There were also plenty of delicious options for vegans and vegetarians, too.

Located in West Hollywood, Kitchen 24 resembles a 1950s diner with a modern spin and all-pink decor.

Here, I decided to try a non-traditional American breakfast that consisted of a crispy tortilla, avocado, “chicken” sausage and black beans all put together in a skillet. Because of its savory flavor, an unsuspecting customer would never know the dish was vegan, as the plant-based chicken sausage tasted like the real thing.

Whether you are visiting a new place or have just moved there, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of playing it safe with things that re-

mind you of home or even breaking your diet habits in order to adapt to your surroundings.

Even though I did step out of my food comfort zone, the best part about this excursion was that my regular eating habits were not abandoned in order to adjust to the place I was in.

Los Angeles is known for its fresh, healthy food, so of course this made it easy for me to stay on track. Although I was only visiting, I was fortunate enough to make another friend in Los Angeles along the way who also loved food just as much as I do.

Having been in California all of his life, Amir gave me the coolest spots to visit that no tourist could be seen.

I am someone who likes to blend in as much as possible, so when he invited me out to this restaurant Taste on Melrose Avenue, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to immerse myself in the laid-back, care-free Los Angeles lifestyle.

My trip to Los Angeles was short lived, but I can say I made the most of my time. There are many ways to spend a vacation, most enjoy their getaway by doing traditional activities like sightseeing popular attractions.

For me I was better off taking the more non-traditional route, which meant having little to no planning and just going with the flow.

Puerto Rico radiates natural beauty, colorful culinary experience

Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September of last year and the island is still struggling to recover and rebuild, but nothing can take away from the inherent natural beauty of the beaches and culture. ABIGAIL LYON

ABIGAIL LYON CORRESPONDENT

As some friends and I scoured the web for affordable spring break flights last month, we landed on Puerto Rico. There was something about the island’s diverse landscapes coupled with delectable food that drew us.

At this point, the trip was glued to the core of our minds.

We planned a four-day journey and booked a beautiful Ocean Park Airbnb — it was set. Leading up, we were so eager to take a sip of the Caribbean island’s culture. We tossed around activities to fill each day with, through restaurants and standout authen-

tic dishes to famous forts and streets lined with Spanish colonial architecture and the many beachfront possibilities.

To be completely honest, making plans to visit Puerto Rico felt insensitive at first, as the country is still recovering from Hurricane Maria’s wreckage in September.

But spending money in the territory offers direct support in its recovery, as tourism makes up approximately 10 percent of its GDP. Immediately from the vibrant sights I saw upon landing in Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, I got a taste of how amazing the trip was going to be. ] The airport is just 15 minutes south of where we were staying, so within an hour

of landing we were thrown into the thick of Ocean Park’s warm, beachy beauty.

After a quick bite right outside of the little gated neighborhood, our first day was spent at the beach, a speedy 3-minute walk from our Airbnb. The walk itself was enchanting and felt like it took less time than it did. The colorful houses, some with the loveliest bright pink flowers pouring over edges of fences next to trees and a thin sidewalk sat along the path.

The beach in Ocean Park was one of the best I’ve ever experienced. Once you’re on it, you can see the buildings of the city to your left, palm trees positioned behind you, beautiful sand beneath you and sparkling ocean

water ahead. We spent hours there each day.

Other than the beach, we got in as many culinary experiences as our stomachs could fit throughout the trip. One morning we visited a famous bakery, Kasalta, to munch on scrambled eggs before the beach. The eatery is roomy, loaded with delectable food and it’s unsurprisingly a favorite across San Juan.

We also dined on Mexican fare for a few dinners by the recommendation of friends who live in Puerto Rico, as well as traditional Puerto Rican fare other nights, like mofongo, a fried plantain dish. We also joined the locals at a karaoke-housing dive bar, El Local en Santurce, one night.

For breakfast, we ate at a casual place called Pinky’s one day, and chic Punto Medio the other. Both dining experiences were affordable and delicious, and the coffee was always rich and smooth.

We kayaked at night in La Parguera in Southwest Puerto Rico, the location of 1 of the territory’s 3 bioluminescent bays. The bays are so special, because they’re made glowy by tiny dinoflagellates, and, for reference, there are only five of them in the world.

Even with all these experiences, some of our favorite times in Puerto Rico were in Old San Juan, savoring the unreal, colorful scenery with our feet pounding the cobblestone streets, and at the forts, too. We visited both Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Castillo San Cristóbal, both of which evoked major Dragonstone feels, but were each thrilling in their own right.

The forts were full of adventures, from the steep steps, tall oceanfront views and places indoors and outdoors to explore.

It’s inexpensive: for just $7, you can visit each of them as many times as you’d like in a 24-hour time frame. Right outside Castillo San Cristóbal after its 6 p.m. closing time, you can catch gorgeous views of the sunset. And save for troubles wind may cause (wear shorts underneath your dress!), the photo opportunities are pretty serious.

In the end, the experience of visiting Puerto Rico was special each day, the island is warming and unforgettable, full of great people, food and sights. And while New Jersey was being piled by snow, I thoroughly enjoyed my choice.