Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Tiffany Duong

Are You Winning, Barb?

A satire of Cassius Marcellus Coolidge's "Dogs Playing Poker" with Barbie. Informed by iconic mobster movies such as Martin Scorsese's "Casino," "Godfather," and "Goodfellas."

“An investigation of the vices I possibly projected onto Barbie, and how Barbie doesn't have any substantial moral values beyond those projected onto her. I thought about which negative trait is commonly viewed as such across a span of cultures. Cheating - to act without honour, perhaps as a result of shame - is the most commonly socially unacceptable action within society.Inspired by Scorsese’s gangster films such as Casino, I depict Barbie, an archetype of femininity, within roles that are dominated by men - challenging her initial contexts as a gendered toy. Although still wearing trad wife dresses befitting Barbie’s character, she is engaging with (masculine) behaviours that contradict this.”