With the current Barbie mania I’m reminded of an exhibition I was included in with 20 artists, curated by my mother Penny Orme at the Centre of Contemporary Art in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2004. Aotearoa Barbie.
Love a bit of third wave feminist discourse…and where we've landed now.
Sally Blundell writes for The Listener;
“The show included performance artist Mika dressed in his Josephine Baker inspired 'Cabaret' outfit photographed by Sara Orme.
Orme used the old romantic imagery of Māori as a noble dying race. But here emerging out of true romantic style is Mika, strong with his straight ahead gaze unflinching.
An exhibition of 20 works covering a range of personal memories, ideas, hobby horses and social issues built around this resilient 28cm plastic figure who, as she approaches the age of 45, still can’t put her Braks on the ground.
The Barbie theme is popular as part of a post modern discourse on mass produced junk culture. She represents an unreal body image, an enduring sexually defined stereotype…in an insentient age she’s a sitter for ridicule”.
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