Barbie serves as inspiration for religious art
芭比娃娃成为宗教艺术励志人物
Everyone knows the countless variations of the world-renowned Barbie and Ken dolls, but a pair of artists have taken the legendary toys beyond their Malibu princess and fashionista roots, molding them into religious figurines. The artists, Marianela Perelli and Emiliano Paolini, from central Argentina, have reconstructed dozens of the famous dolls originally created by American toy-company Matell in 1959 and transformed them into Catholic, Buddhist and Jewish figures. They call their exhibition, "Barbie, The Plastic Religion." The pair say they use the dolls as a base to create entirely new designs. SOUNDBITE: Marianela Perelli, artist, saying (Spanish): "There is just one of each. They are sculptures. They are pieces of art and can't be replicated." They currently have more than 30 Barbie and Ken dolls that have been made into images of Catholic saints, Hindu goddesses and gods of nature. The duo is taking their exposition to Buenos Aires next month and hope they will soon be able to display their pieces in showrooms around the world.