One of the things that has always stood out to me in thrift stores is the omnipresent big bucket-o-My Little Ponies. Once, these beloved little ponies had love and attention lavished on them by countless little girls. Now, however, they tend to attract dust in Salvation Army stores. There's something particularly unsettling about the way that My Little Ponies age. Even though the plastic bodies are nearly indestructible, they get smudgy and dirty in a way that makes me need to wash my hands immediately after touching them. Their acrylic hair gets matted and tangled as well. I can't quite imagine that many people would want to buy them and clean them up.
That's where I'm wrong, though. Mari Kasurinen is a young artist from Finland who sees beyond the smudges and tangles. She adopts My Little Ponies, then takes them home to her makeover studio, where she fits them with all manner of mixed-media prosthetics. The final products reflect her obsessions with Hollywood and science fiction. Her attention to detail totally stands out. Whenever possible, the original manes and tails of the ponies are styled to help give the final product that extra glint of recognition.
I'd go as far as call her the greatest genius of My Little Pony hairstyling EVER! She also scavenges amazing mixed-media objects for inclusion in her sculptures--witness the menacing blades that the well-meaning Edward Scissorhands pony above is sporting. She's also great at re-imagining her characters while maintaining the character and shape of the My Little Pony she's working on. Mari Kasurinen's work deals with familiarity. We've all seen My Little Ponies, Star Wars and other superheroes a million times, but her work is jammed full of wonder. Perhaps part of that wonder comes from the fact that Mari wasn't even born when My Little Pony was hitting the shelves in the early 80's and can experience them with fresh eyes.
Christ I'm old. Remind me to tell you the story about the pony I got when I was a kid. It was mean...which probably explains a lot.
