 MEDIA RELEASE |
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MEDIA RELEASE |
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The People's Plastic
Princess
Curator: Skawennati Tricia Fragnito Exhibition at the Walter Phillips Gallery
October 8 - November 21, 1999
BANFF, ALBERTA, October 1, 1999 - The
People's Plastic Princess is a group exhibition which shows the many faces of Barbie* and
the artworks she has inspired from the 1960's to the present.Barbie*. Like Cher, Madonna
and Diana, the flesh-and-blood People's Princess, this simple doll has obtained the status
of mononymity usually reserved for the ultra-famous. Barbie*, however, is even more
ubiquitous than her human counterparts, having infiltrated the homes and hearts of three
generations of girls. Because millions of children have owned a Barbie* doll, and millions
of parents have bought at least one, people of all races, incomes and political agendas
have a stake in the Vinyl Goddess, how she is represented, and who she represents.
Barbie's* body, clothes, even the colour of her home and accessories, have been the focal
point of discussions in department store aisles and the hallowed halls of academia
alike.Artists have found the eleven-and-a-half-inch fashion doll to be a particularly
compelling agent to use as a symbol of misguided feminine representation, an icon of
unbridled commercialism, a signal of racial inequity, a barometer of pop culture and a
reflection of our society.
The People's Plastic Princess is a retrospective of Barbie* art, including paintings,
photographs, sculpture, video and digital media made over the last forty years by numerous
and diverse artists who use or refer to the doll in imaginative, provocative and critical
ways. Drawn together by curator Skawennati Tricia Fragnito, the exhibition includes works
by Tula Asselanis, Lori Blondeau, Keith Boadwee, Ken Botto, Dean Brown, Kathe Burkhart,
Thirza Cuthand, Rachel Fisher, Todd Haynes, Ugo Iafulla,Teresa Marshall, Robin Pacific,
Lucy Puls, Chris Saruk Reid, Ryan Rice, Maggie Robbins, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Fiona
Smyth, Jimm Tran and Tomi Ungerer.
Please join us for the Opening Reception with a performance by Lori Blondeau, We Want To
Be Just Like Barbie* That Bitch Has Everything on Friday, October 8 at 7:00 pm. All are
invited to an Artist/Curator's Presentation on Saturday, October 9 at 2:00 pm. Both events
are free to the Public. About The Walter Phillips Gallery and The Banff Centre: The Walter
Phillips Gallery is exclusively dedicated to the production, collection and analysis of
contemporary visual art and is dedicated to developing a thoughtful and stimulating forum
for curatorial practice. The Gallery is located on the main floor of Glyde Hall at The
Banff Centre. Open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.
*Barbie is a registered trademark of Mattel, Inc.
For more information:
Helen Moore-Parkhouse
phone 403-762-7539