Barbie Takes a Trip to the U.S.S.R.

Nov 24, 2017 - 04:00 pm

Vychuzhanina set out to create a true home for Soviet Barbie and Ken. Lara Vychuzhanina

Everything had to feel and look authentic. Even the tables were an involved process: first they were dyed brown, then green and finally rubbed with wax and sandpaper. Lara Vychuzhanina

Ken’s stone-cold demeanor is less intimidating when you realize he is wearing a cut-up old sock. Lara Vychuzhanina

The small food items were bought online. Only the vodka needed a new label to stay true to the time period. Lara Vychuzhanina

To create an authentic impression of wear and tear, Vychuzhanina took photos of human-sized objects and copied the flaws she saw. Lara Vychuzhanina

Newspapers, boxes with tea and cigarettes, milk packaging, labels on cans, refrigerator magnets — these images were printed from the internet and are authentic to the Soviet period. Lara Vychuzhanina

Sewn over 20 years ago by a young Vychuzhanina, Barbie’s pink robe comes from a time closer to the U.S.S.R. Lara Vychuzhanina

Vychuzhanina copied the chips and scratches on plates that she saw in photos. Afterward, dishes were given a fresh coat of transparent nail polish. Lara Vychuzhanina

Yekaterinburg-based artist and photographer Lara Vychuzhanina takes Barbie and Ken on a trip through time, back to the U.S.S.R.

A stern Ken never stands up from the table. Barbie hangs laundry, sips coffee and daydreams. The young couple’s cat keeps a laser focus on the wall. Each scene reveals a new detail of Barbie’s journey overseas — even the food is Soviet.

Follow Lara on Instagram here.

Barbie Takes a Trip to the U.S.S.R.

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