Virgin Mary Barbie and Jesus Ken dolls spark anger in Argentina as creators face death threats
- Argentine artists Emiiano Paolini and Marianela Perelli have been criticized for selling Barbie and Ken dolls symbolizing religious figures
- Some of the dolls were recently spotted in the Buenos Aires town of Luján
- With the arrival of Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ film, the makers tried to capitalize on the popularity of the film and reintroduce their exhibition.
An artistic duo has again come under fire and death threats in Argentina for depicting religious figures through a series of Barbie and Ken dolls.
Emiiano Paolini and Marianela Perelli came up with a Barbie Virgin Mary and a Ken Jesus doll, which recently went on sale in a toy store in the city of Lujan in Buenos Aires.
The Barbie in question symbolizes Our Lady of Luján with an embroidered cloak and a crown. The Ken doll is modeled after Jesus crucified on a cross.
Paolini and Perelli first introduced their concept in 2014 as part of the exhibition “Barbie: The Plastic Religion,” which reimagined the iconic Mattel doll after religious figures.
The collection included 33 Barbies that were converted into versions of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Luján, Christ, and other religious figures.
The Argentine artistic tandem of Emiliano Paolini and Marianela Perelli has been criticized for depicting religious figures through Barbie and Ken dolls, now associated with Mattel
A doll symbolizing Jesus is one of a series of Barbie and Ken dolls that have again angered religious believers in Argentina
However, the duo’s artistic portrayal of the Catholic figures angered loyal followers when violent threats rained down on Paolini and Perelli.
“We are getting threats from different parts of the world. It’s crazy,” Paolini was quoted as saying at the time. “They misinterpreted our work.”
The duo’s work is inspired by lowbrow art, an underground visual movement that was born in Los Angeles in the late 1970s.
The duo thought they were not doing anything disrespectful because, according to Paolini, “religion always represented the virgins with the women who were the most beautiful.”
It is believed that with the arrival of Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ film, Paolini and Perelli sought to capitalize on the film’s worldwide popularity and reintroduce their exhibition.
Emiiano Paolini and Marianela Perelli came up with the concept of selling Barbie and Ken dolls modeled after religious figures in 2014 as part of an exhibition called ‘Barbie: The Plastic Religion’
Moses and Krishna are some of the religious figures honored through Ken dolls by the Argentinian artistic tandem of Emiliano Paolini and Marianela Perelli
It is believed that with the arrival of Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ film, Paolini and Perelli sought to capitalize on the film’s worldwide popularity and reintroduce their exhibition.
Last week, the artists introduced a Barbie doll modeled after the Medal of Our Lady of Grace, which comes with a Barbie comic book.
Over the weekend, Paolini posted a selfie prior to sending out a package containing Barbie and Ken dolls symbolizing Joan of Arc and Krishna respectively.
“We are partying,” he wrote. ‘First time selling work in #Africa…Now we are completing (selling in) all continents!!!’
During an interview with panelists on the Argentine news network TN Noticias, one of the guests accused Paolini and Perelli of using their work to disrespect Our Lady of Luján.
“For the faithful, the Virgin of Luján is the patron saint of the Argentines and the devotion is very high… this could be taken as an insult,” said Sergio Rubin.
“It is a manipulation of a sacred symbol for millions of Argentines and so far the church of Lujan has not made a statement about it,” he added.
However, many of the duo’s 12.9 followers on Instagram peppered them with comments, asking about prices and where to buy the dolls.
“Love this so much,” one user wrote.
“I absolutely love the Our Lady of Luján Barbie, a national icon,” another follower agreed.