Monday, March 9, 2015

Barbie: Still in the Game

I loved my Barbie dolls as much as then next girl, but I never connected with the adult Barbie collector until I saw a photo of the Barbie Funeral in the collection of artist Paolo Schmidlin. I can't show it to you here because the image is copy written, but if you go to the Barbara Frigerio Gallery exhibit of Barbie Around The World and scroll through the images, you'll be pleased you did.

Why am I blogging about Barbie today? Well, On March 9, 1959,  Barbie was introduced to the world.   I don't pay much attention to the latest incarnations of Barbie, but I do like what artists are doing with her. Altered Barbies are the way of the future for me. Here are a few from Etsy.

Day of The Dead Barbie by CraftCabra
Weeping Angel Barbie by Fayeven
Voodoo Barbie by GreenspaceGardens
Flamin' Flight Barbie by BkoetjesEye
Sholonda the Witch Doctor by PayleDragon

There has been an Altered Barbie exhibit for the last twelve years in San Francisco. You can look at some of the pieces on their website. Some of these images are a bit disturbing and Barbie is apparently having a lot of sex, but here are some of the more docile Barbies.
Snow White by Christy Lou
Nurse Hatchet Barbie by Debbie Fimrite
Fashion Zombies by Christy Lou
So, even though you got in trouble for cutting off your Barbie's hair or pulling off her arms and legs, no one understood that you were an emerging artist. Happy Birthday, Barbie!

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