Barbicore: Emma Gibbons Turns Barbie Into High-Voltage Pop Art in London

A new solo exhibition at ME London explores glitter, nostalgia, and hyper-feminine iconography just days before Pride

Barbie has always been a symbol — but in Emma Gibbons’ hands, she becomes something louder, shinier, and far more chaotic.

Opening at ME London, Barbiecore is a new solo exhibition by the British artist, transforming the world of the iconic doll into a saturated universe of glitter, resin, colour, and cultural excess. It arrives just days before London Pride and alongside renewed global fascination with Barbie as a cultural figure, placing the exhibition firmly in the middle of a wider conversation about femininity, performance, and pop identity.

Emma Gibbons and the Language of Excess

Emma Gibbons has built a reputation for turning consumer objects into high-impact sculptural works — most recognisably through resin-based compositions filled with glitter, pigment, and capsule-like forms.

Her work often references branding, beauty culture, and nostalgia, reassembled into bold visual statements that sit somewhere between sculpture and spectacle.

Following a sold-out solo show in Piccadilly in 2022, Barbiecore marks a larger, more immersive return.

Barbiecore as Cultural Moment

In Barbiecore, Gibbons continues her exploration of material excess and cultural symbolism. Her work is known for its distinctive technique: hundreds of pill capsules filled with glitter and coloured powders embedded in resin, often arranged into slogans or formed into sculptural objects such as perfume bottles.

For this exhibition, she expands that language further, incorporating dollhouse miniatures and Barbie paraphernalia into the works, creating a heightened, almost theatrical environment of playful exaggeration.

Limited edition Barbie Parfum artworks, featuring polymer clay hearts and confetti, will also be released as part of the exhibition.

A Wider Cultural Web: Film, Fashion, and Camp

The timing of Barbiecore places it at the intersection of several overlapping cultural moments. Opening just ahead of London Pride and aligned with the continued cultural dominance of the Barbie universe in film and fashion, the exhibition becomes part of a broader seasonal shift towards hyper-visibility, performance, and aesthetic celebration.

Rather than treating Barbie as nostalgia alone, Gibbons reframes it as a living visual language — one that continues to evolve across fashion, art, and popular culture.

Gone Rogue at ME London

Curated in partnership with Gone Rogue — the international art curation and consultancy collective founded by Kim Shaylor — the exhibition continues the organisation’s programme of artist-led collaborations across brands, institutions, and cultural spaces.

Previous partnerships include McLaren, Sushi Samba, and The Prodigy, reflecting its cross-disciplinary approach to contemporary art presentation.

ME London, known for its integration of hospitality and contemporary art programming, provides the setting for the installation in Covent Garden.