DIMENSIONS: 18(h) x 37(w)
MEDIUM: Original Hand-Pulled CMYK Silkscreen; Edition of 25, Signed and Numbered
YEAR: 2018
Psycho Patrol
Why do we dismiss fancy cars, a dream house, and a career as nothing more than a far-fetched fantasy when Barbie has been showing us for decades that it's all obtainable? At what point does desire become delusion? Is she psychotic for wanting it all - or iconic? The piece’s name comes from the hectic and often revealing conversations that take place in a buzzing city like New York, as passersby are often on patrol, overhearing someone else’s crazy story from the night before, or watching something strange and unusual take place while sitting in a cab or Uber.
“In creating Barbie, my philosophy was that, through the doll, girls could become anything they wanted to be. Barbie has always represented a woman who choose for herself.”
- Ruth Handler
In addition, Simmons focuses heavily on the production methods used to create this piece as an extension of the message itself. By using the CMYK screen printing method, she was able to achieve a full color image through layering four single colors. The result of this tedious and precise printing method produces a grain and texture that is unique to this method alone; cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are layered to create a nostalgic fuzzy quality reminiscent of the 80’s aesthetic. This print is the only piece Simmons has used this technique to produce.
