AlteredBarbie 2013: The Doll That Has it All!
That Bitch has everything

AlteredBarbie 2013 is in its 11th year and is taking place in the mission at Shotwell 50 Inc., 50 Shotwell Street, San Francisco.

Barbie and Ken icons who represent modernity fitting for plastic dolls have everything a person could desire. They have multiple careers, vacations, the man, the woman, the divorce, the family, the cars, the houses, all that stuff, all those outfits, all those shoes! and the time and money to buy it all. It is a corporate forced lifestyle based on having things and accomplishments. This is grotesque in all its perfect superficiality and yet Barbie (& Ken) are beautiful and ideals we all secretly try to emulate. These icons are so powerful they strike a chord with almost every little girl, boy, woman and man in the world regardless of economic status or color.

As an artist I still recall the first time I created art from Barbie. For me my fantasy was to tear Barbie from limb to limb. When I sat down to actually alter her I realized that there was a strange beauty to this icon and somehow her beauty was reflected from or to me? This began my fascination with Barbie as an Icon and how she represents women in a very modern way. Gotta love to hate her, or hate to love her.

The Altered Barbie show has spawned a creative community of artists who utilize Barbie and Ken, our modern day icons into creative and culturally relevant art where start up artists and established artists take Barbie boldly where Mattel / Disney would never have the guts to take her. AlteredBarbie art reflects current issues in our society, how we view women and men within these issues and what our roles are within these issues.

The San Franciso AlteredBarbie show is an important institution to the psychological health of art in San Francisco due to the fact that it is outside the realm of outsider art, underground art and established art. It is immune to the twitter and google influx except when it comes to $$ and time. If you are a sponsor or patron and are looking to spend money or volunteer look no further. there are mulitple ways to get involved with Barbie. Just click here....

Thank you for supporting your local San Francisco AlteredBarbie art! and looking to celebrating Barbie with you in 2013!

Julie Andersen

2013 Call for Art | 2013 Press Release