The remakes of the story tellers in sculpture are a series of gold sculptures, which are presented on podium and encased in glass, as jewelry or as altars. Merrild has adopted a combined technique for her sculptures, making use of both readymades, such as Barbie dolls, and more traditional sculpting materials, as plaster and paint.
The sculptures thematic point of departure is well known fairy tales and myths such as Snow-white, Cinderella and Narcissus. Merrild reflects upon and transform these psychological archetypes and mythologies in unexpected angles, often with a humorous twist. Merrild’s investigation into the changing and creation of identities of modern man is further reflected by her use of Barbie dolls in the sculptures.
Barbie and Ken have in many ways escaped their initial purpose as play dolls for young girls, and have entered the world of mythologies as a symbol of a perfect way to look, to act and to live. They represent idealized identities that leisurely fulfil all the demands which are put upon the modern woman and man striving for perfection. Today, where “everybody” remakes their bodies, changing identities to become Barbies seems to be a goal within everybody’s reach.