A) Barbie outfit: 59-3/4 x 24-1/4 x 4-1/2 in. B) Ken Outfit: 63 x 24 x 6 in. C) hanger D) hanger E) hanging bracket F) hanging bracket G) wall bracket H) wall bracket
Gift of Ann M. Stack in honor of Lisa D. Freiman, Curator of Contemporary Art
(Deitch Projects, New York, New York); purchased by the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana in 2004.
Two body suits hang from garment hangers. Hand-embroidered red stitches weave across their cotton surfaces, spelling out “Barbie loves Ken” and “Ken loves Barbie.” Styled in “his and her” fashions, these two jumpsuits address certain childhood toys, such as Barbie and Ken dolls, that reinforce traditional gender roles.
Through the title as well as the sewn text, Ghada Amer brings to mind the stereotypically gendered games that children often play. The empty suits prompt viewers to consider the wearers of such outfits and, perhaps, question the longstanding history of such stereotypes.
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