I think the whole concept of dolls is a creepy one, so I appreciate artists who embrace the creepy when it comes to dolls. Whatever your feelings might be, the work of all the artists is exquisite. The Creators Project has a feature on 5 Russian doll artists, who are doing new and wondrous work, because there’s going to be an International Art Exhibition in Amsterdam, in April, Art and Dolls. I do note that the art of dolls still remains stubbornly female focused. I’d like to see artists challenge that narrative a bit more. Let’s look at the featured Russian artists’ work a bit:
Sisters Popovy.
Michael Zajkov.
Tatyana Trifonova.
Lidia Krasko.
Polina Myalovskaya.
You can read and see more at The Creators Project.
One of my favorite fetish photographers, Masaaki Toyoura, did a book of photos of dolls (“Emmuree”) that is some of the creepiest stuff I’ve seen in a while.
I don’t understand why dolls are so creepy but they sure can be! I think it’s because they’re human-looking and helpless and designed to manipulate.
Marcus:
Yes, creepy. Also what I said about the almost solely female focus.
This is amazing work. Look at the hairing! Wow.
I used to raise Angora goats and the hair from the young goats is what is used for these dolls. You have to protect the hair on the goat, so that when you shear it off, it’s in pristine condition. We even had little jackets for them to try and keep it as hay-free as possible. Back then we could get $10.00 an ounce for good hair, but only a small amount from each goat would be this high of a standard. No idea what the market is now.
When I first saw art dolls I was blown away. Totally not my thing but I can sure see the appeal. These are incredible.
Caine@#2:
Also what I said about the almost solely female focus.
I, uh, completely blanked that out, because my brain doesn’t want to go there.
Yeah, lots of young prepubescent-looking girls.
There’s a pretty lively collectors market for bishonen boy dolls, too -- mostly big-eyed gothbois and also young-looking.
kestrel@#3:
The idea of keeping goats clean by putting them in little jackets -- that made me laugh. Especially since I immediately thought the jackets should be printed to look like human skins, with tattoos and everything. Turnabout being fair play and all.
Marcus:
Now that would be a stunning, and mind-blowingly controversial art project! Silicone synthetics, in the hands of the right people, can emulate human skin to such a point, that you’re sure it is skin.
Caine@#6:
I often regret my inability to sculpt.
The crazy thing is that I could actually do it using lifecasting techniques. Just get a smallish human to lie in the “bearskin rug” pose and overpour them, then make a plaster and press clay over that, cut it and flip it and make an overmold… It’d be a lot of work but I could actually do it. Damn. And, yes, smooth-on dragonskin(tm) silicone is amazingly lifelike.
LOL! Well, the jackets I used were just plain canvas, made as strong as possible to stand up to whatever a goat (or sheep -- you use them on sheep, too) can throw at them which is quite a lot of abuse. However this is something I sure would have done. Putting human-like coats on them is definitely right up my alley. :-)
That would make a great photo: a goat wearing what looks like human skin next to a doll wearing the mohair from the goat on it’s head. :-)
Kestrel:
Perfection!
I’m thinking sort of “sheep in wolf’s clothing”
come to think of it, that could be done easily enough too… I just need a fresh nazi skin.
@Marcus #10: haha. I used to also put jackets on my sheep. One was a Rambouillet and these are very domesticated fine-wooled sheep. When I first put the jacket on her she would graze along quietly and then suddenly notice she was wearing a jacket and spook at herself, dashing haphazardly around the pasture for a moment, then apparently remember it was OK, go back to grazing, lather, rinse, repeat.
I can’t even imagine what she would have done if it had been a wolfskin. :-D
Perhaps the Creepy Factor of dolls has something to do with the uncanny valley?
Cubist @ 12:
For me, the answer is no. It’s more what Marcus said @ 1. The sexism underlying dolls is a major factor for me, and the burden of gendered expectation. That said, I didn’t like them when I was a sprog, either. (Except for the classic Troll dolls, which I loved.)
The standard “for girls” dolls always bothered me, even when I was very young, I got that I was
supposedexpected to feel all maternal at the age of four, ffs. Besides the maternal business, dolls were also supposed to focus you on fashion -- clothes, hair, etc. To a large extent, dolls are a statement of what it means to be a girl, or a boy. There’s been some progress on the boy doll front, but not much, and most boy dolls are of the aggressive, violent kind, ie G.I. Joe.Back when I was a youngster, the yearly agriculturalrodeocountyfair thingy always had a midway with rides, rip-off booths and a freak-show.
I saw some of these at the freak-show, usually in a bottle of formaldehyde.
.
The very naturalistic ginger girl just looks like a murder victim