Paul McCarthy, Ken‑Pink Head

1995

These two large-sized photographs depict part of the iconic doll, Ken. One image shows Ken’s head, while the other displays the doll’s headless body. Torn apart during a performance in 1972, McCarthy stored the Ken figurine in a suitcase along with other performance objects, exhibited in 1983, and then photographed in 1995. The dirty and damaged found objects are juxtaposed against pristine and colorful backdrops, combining a sense of degradation and abjection amidst commodity culture.