Self Portrait on the Borderline Between Mexico and the United States (1932) is important because it shows how the beginnings of a renewed interest in Pre-Colombian art through introducing the important idea of duality. Duality, an Indigenous concept, meaning oppositional forces within identity and culture working simultaneously rather than in conflict. Kahlo posits that the influence of colonialism and industrialism is not in conflict with Latin American identity but an important aspect of it moving forward. These two ideas cannot and should not be separated because they are reliant on one another. Frida is in the middle much like the lightning between the sun and moon behind her – the powerful creation of two opposing forces.
The Mask (1945) extends this point. By painting herself wearing a Malinche mask, Kahlo overtly references the colonial past of Mexico and suggests that to have a unique identity is not a matter of identifying the truth separate from any colonial influence but instead a matter of claiming those influences, in all their complexity. The vehicle of self-portraiture also shows Kahlo’s interest in examining contemporary ideas surrounding Mexican womanhood. Obscuring her face with Malinche shows Kahlo highlighting the presence of misogyny at the root of her cultural identity. The presentation of Malinche historically has a strange correlation with the Christian conception of Eve, through her acquiescence to temptation Eve commits humanity to Original Sin in the same way that Malinche ‘aided’ Cortes in the Spanish conquest (the next artist explores the role of religion in a more explicit way). Kahlo contrasts this continued demonisation of a victim of colonisation alongside the continued role of women as bearers of tradition. The fact that Kahlo must dress in traditional Mexican clothing to fully embrace Latin American identity while Rivera can continue wearing suits is one example of this double standard which she is able to address in the process of artmaking. Her art is transformative in the same vein as Do Amaral but extends it by truly engaging with the individual. Kahlo embraces using her body as a cultural symbol to create a greater sense of self and, as a result, injects modern Latin American identity into art.