Fabiola Larios is featured on this week's episode of Nicstalgia. We talk about Fabi’s Barbie exhibit at Yami-Ichi, subverting obsolescence and bringing new life to old and retro technology, AI-generated art on Fabi’s irreplaceable pink Disney Princess TV, the iconic 90s computer game Barbie Magic Hairstyler (y también Barbie Salón de Belleza).
We deep dive into rituals, societal conditioning, misconceptions of Barbie, and the meaning adults (not children) assign to Barbie, and how she’s really a representation of our society, projected onto a 12” piece of plastic. We contrast not just the image, but the messaging behind Barbie vs. Bratz and agree that Barbie is an intellectual and a badass.
We play a Dream Outfit and Dream Career game for AI-generated Fabi Barbie and tap into the imagination, play, levity, and joy that Barbie brought us as kids — and how we own that sentiment as adults.
💿 About our Guest
Fabiola Larios is a Mexican Interdisciplinary artist that lives and works in Miami Beach, Florida. Her work explores the intersection of technology, identity, and representation in the digital age. Through machine learning, AI, net art, obsolescence programming, and e-waste, she seeks to challenge our understanding of the self and the impact of social media and the internet on our lives.
🛼 Connect with Our Guest
Instagram 〰 Twitter 〰 Warpcast @fabiolaio 〰 Lens
🍒 Connect with Nic
Instagram 〰 Twitter 〰 Substack 〰 TikTok
🦋 Special Thanks Doll Artwork by @hmdraws_ Theme Music by @egmusicnyc Intro Video by @valentinareyes9