Iconic children's dolls Barbie and Ken took a well-deserved break from
keeping kids around the world entertained and took a vacation in Israel
lat summer. And they have the photos to prove it.
Barbie and Ken
are in fact the alter egos of Italian couple Enrico Pescantini and
Maria Giovanna Callea and the so-called holiday snaps are the final
result of a pop-art project the two undertook during a vacation last
August, aptly called "Barbie Loves Israel."
The art project -
which depicts photos of Barbie and Ken dolls taking in the sites of Tel
Aviv and Jerusalem and venturing out to the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi as
well as exploring Nazareth - has been turned into an exhibition and is
currently on display at a popular bar in Milan. The exhibition has also
been featured in the Italian editions of popular fashion magazines such
as Vanity Fair and Vogue.
At
the time of the trip, Enrico, a telecommunications expert and keen
photographer, was living in Mumbai, and Maria, who works in advertising,
was living in Milan. And so, after some deliberation, the two settled
on Israel as the destination for their vacation, Maria tells The Jerusalem Post.
Israel
may not seem the obvious choice for a couple separated by distance to
meet, but Maria explains that they chose the Holy Land because "we were
fascinated and attracted by the idea of discovering a mix of different
cultures, landscapes, religions and people."
Maria stresses
that there is no “special” message behind this project. "Our idea was to
have 'alter egos' that represent us," she explains. "Ken came from
Mumbai and Barbie from Milan and they met in Tel Aviv to begin their
road trip together," the story goes. "These are just the pictures of
their holiday, without any political or commercial purpose."
A
lot of thought went into using Barbie and Ken as alter egos, Maria says.
"Barbie and Ken are the two perfect characters to portray our trip;
they are realistic, they have amazing clothes and different
accessorizes, very close to our world."
The couple was surprised
by the positive response their exhibition received in Milan, but have no
immediate plans to take “Barbie Loves Israel” anywhere else. And while
they don’t have a similar project lined up for their next vacation,
Maria says they are considering the possibility.