Photos By Gail

OK, so what exactly are we looking at here? What initially appears as a fairly standard-issue Virgin Mary desktop statue is revealed, on closer inspection, to be a mash up of the holy mother and a Malibu Barbie (check out the sunglasses propped casually on her head, for your first clue).

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The statue, by UK-based artist Heath Kane, is based on a print entitled In Brands We Trust, originally created in June of 2016 in association with Jealous Gallery of London. The idea for the print was to create a mock idol by galvanizing a Malibu Barbie figure with the Virgin Mary.

Says Kane: In Brands We Trust is designed to look on the surface like a classic piece of pop art – juxtaposing Barbie’s face with an image of the Virgin Mary. But the light facade masks a deeper question about consumerism. Whereas Pop Art fetishized consumerism, In Brands We Trust challenges it. In March 2016 two people were shot and seriously injured in America when Nike released a new version of its Air Jordan 2 Retro shoes. In Brands We Trust ponders the question ‘have brands become our new religion?’ And if so are they encouraging division and extremism? Brands have such a profound impact on our daily lives it’s raises the question if religious faith can compete.

Spotted at The Other Art Fair in Brooklyn, NY.