mariel clayton: doll photographer with a subversive sense of humour

‘B is for brochette’ image © mariel clayton

committed to chronicling the more sinister side of barbie’s picturesque life, self-taught photographer mariel clayton‘s body of work is a collection of images depicting the doll as an aggressor of a number of gory scenarios. complemented with tongue-in-cheek titles, the outlandishly gruesome images often include ken, barbie’s on-and-off-again boyfriend, in the unfortunate position of victim: decapitated with a box of chocolate in hand, hung upside down and drained of his blood,  scrubbing the floor with a sponge while naked on a leash, and many other unlucky roles.

‘for you valentine… a piece of my heart’ image © mariel clayton

largely set in a domestic scene, the images are a visual hodge-podge of miniature props, which the photographer came across while traveling in tokyo. a surprisingly wide range of emotions and narratives are achieved through subtle gestures of the dolls, resulting in a strangely comical reading of the photographs.

‘play nicely with daddy – pt.3’ image © mariel clayton

‘G is for gastromancy’ image © mariel clayton ‘I thought I told you – let her finish packing the food and THEN run her over…’ image © mariel clayton

‘H is for hamartiology’ image © mariel clayton

‘lie back and think of libya’ image © mariel clayton

‘they may not bounce as high…’ image © mariel clayton

‘F is for facinorous’ image © mariel clayton