New doll-Beauty and the Beast.

This is what I've been up to lately: working on this new doll for the group show in London at the Show Studio gallery. The exhibition "In Wolf's Clothing" will open on September 9th and will run throughout the London fashion week and until the end of October.The gargoyle in the shot for composition purpose only. It doesn't come with the doll and I didn't make it. It's a bookend by Windstone, that I grabbed off my bookshelf as I roamed my place in search of fresh photo props. It worked out perfectly. I don't know why I never noticed it before. It's like it was waiting for this specific doll to be made to suddenly come to my attention.I'll post more pictures of her within a day or two. Too tired now. Must sleep. So much exciting stuff is happening this month.....You'll see.

Enchanted Doll in a Louis Vuitton dress poses for LOVE Magazine

Well, I have some news about Enchanted Doll. It was supposed to be a great news which I was really looking forward to sharing and celebrating, but it has just turned sour for me.For a few months now I've been eagerly anticipating the August 2010 issue of the UK-based, avantgarde fashion magazine LOVE, because it was supposed to feature an Enchanted Doll modeling a dress by Louis Vuitton. This Enchanted Doll's name is Buela and she is in private collection. I was not only excited about Enchanted Doll being the face of Louis Vuitton, but also about it being shot by Mert and Marcus, which is amazing. But my joy has turned to disbelief and disappointment when the issue came out and I discovered that the magazine has not credited me for my work.Enchanted Doll brand is not mentioned in the feature, as if the creator of the doll is not important. They've taken my doll's identity away from her.Imagine if a magazine photographed Barbie in a designer dress for commercial use in mass media, slapped a different name on her, such as I donno, Katie or Buela or whatever, and then left out the fact that this doll is Barbie by Mattel. How do you think Mattel would react to their product being used this way?I am upset and rather offended by this turn of events. The photograph was not taken by me and the doll is no longer in my possession, but she is still my intellectual property. I don't know how such a reputable magazine could do something like this and I intend to find out what happened. It might be just a very unfortunate mistake, but the damage is done.So, there you go. Enchatned Doll or possibly some other doll is modeling a Louis Vuitton dress for LOVE magazine.Hurray?

Meeting Camilla d'Errico

I met one of my favorite contemporary artists and fellow Vancouverite Camilla D'errico this week! I found out about her work when I was still in art school, and it's been inspiring me ever since.We've been planning to meet for some time, but our busy schedules kept getting in the way. We rarely seem to be in the same city at the same time. Finally, we went out for some gelato in Yale Town, Vancouver and talked for hours about art, dolls, Helmet Girls and True Blood. Apparently, she is also a fan of the show. I had a deadline to finish a wax model the next day, but I couldn't tear myself away-she is such an engaging and an easy-going girl. We seem to have a lot in common, her and I. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that she is my height! Well, a little bit taller, but it was so great to be the same eye level with somebody for once.I'm so happy to finally know the person behind the art.

Camping in British Columbian Interior

So, I'm a West Coast girl. And a city girl on top of that. But, contradictory to loving Down Town, I am a big nature lover as well. That's why I LOOOOVE going camping in the summer. My favorite place to go is Bear Creek National Park on the Okanagan Lake. When we were new immigrants in Canada, my parents and my sisters and I used to go there every summer, but now my sisters are too old and too cool to hang out with their folks, and so the annual camping tradition at Bear Creek park has been carried on mostly by Chad and I. And I have to drag Chad there while he is kicking and screaming.I don't understand that. It's such a beautiful place. I guess it's because there is no Internet connection there. I kinda missed it too. He is a good sport though, once he gets used to the idea, though he always manages to get sick while we're there. This time he had to get a prescription of antibiotics on the second day of camping after developing an infection promptly on our arrival. Therefore, he didn't swim very much. Poor Chadasaurus.That camping ground is very difficult to get into because it's incredibly beautiful, and we had to fight for our reservations for a whole week, 4 months in advance.This time we went with another couple instead of my parents, (Apparently my parents were also too cool to hang out with me) and we had loads of fun. We swam in the lake, we explored, we climbed, we visited local vineyards and honey farms, we swam through a canyon to secret waterfalls, we relaxes, we watched a wicked thunderstorm and we speed boated. One time we even thought we saw the legendary Ogopogo monster while we boated, which is said to inhabit the enormous Okanagan lake much like the Loch Ness, but upon further inspection we realized it wasn't the coils of the prehistoric serpent we were seeing, but a wake of the waves generated by the wind. It was pretty scary though for a few moments, because it looked like something alive was slithering in and out of the water. I see how some people could mistake that for some sort of a creature from a distance. Perhaps the waves are the only real basis for the whole, centuries-old myth.This is me on one of our Bear Creek Canyon expeditions. You can't see it in the picture, but I'm standing on the edge of the water fall. I'm scared of heights, and I didn't want to venture too close. We had to navigate a river bed with low water levels which was littered with enormous boulders and log debris for an hour to get to a remote water fall. My friend lost her shoe to the swift current on the way. I wore aqua socks ( kinda like rock climbing shoes) and could scale treacherous rocks with relative ease, although I was always scared of breaking my legs. The creek runs with glacier water and is very cold, but in the overwhelming heat of Okanagan, the coldness was welcome. It was awesome.Oh, and I also had some henna done right before we left. Like my doll, Silk Road.Does anybody know any other beautiful camping sites with adventures?

More pictures of Silk Road

New tattoed doll-The Silk Road

The Silk Road. 2010$15,000 USDA one of a kind, ball jointed, Porcelain doll with intricate engravings of the henna motif on her limbs. Her one of a kind Sterling Silver headdress weighing 36.5 grams is assembled from multiple, prefabricated components and set with 17 Fresh Water Pearls.  The detachable Natural Mohair wig is magnetic and a decorative Glass dome display is included with the doll.The Silk Road will become available for sale on August 7th, at the Artful Henna exhibition in the Art Not Terminal Gallery, Seattle, USA. You can contact the director of Artful Henna exhibition Kree Arvanitas for purchasing inquiries at artfulhenna.comI'll be posting some more close ups and portraits of Silk in two other wigs (not included) on August 7th, on the opening night.I'll be away until then and will not be available to answer any questions in regards to this doll or the show until I return to the studio. For once, I'm unable to bring my laptop with me. You can certainly write me while I'm away and I will address any inquiries as soon as I'm back. Enjoy the pictures. Ta Ta.

Some more shots of doll henna tattoos

Artful Henna exhibition in Seattle!

Today I'm finishing a new, one of a kind tattooed doll for the Artful Henna group exhibition at the "Art Not Terminal" gallery in Seattle, USA. The Opening night gala is on Saturday, August 7th. The show is centered around the theme of henna motif and I'm very excited to be a part of it, amongst the many talented and renowned artists who work in this highly decorative genre.Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the opening night due to a scheduling conflict and will have to go to Seattle at a later time to see the exhibition.This is an up close shot of a work in progress henna tattoo on the left hand. This is the most intricate tattooing I've done up to date and I'm very pleased with how much detail I was able to fit into the tiny hands and feet of the doll. It wasn't easy and my own fingers ached from the tremendous strain of engraving on such a small scale. I'm very anxious to see it completed, as it's been a year since I've done my last henna tattooed doll. I simply love the aesthetic and the diversity of henna and wish I could make many more dolls with it, but the complexity of engraving it takes a lot out of me. That's why I have to space out my henna projects quite a bit.I'll be posting another shot of henna close up tomorrow and pictures of a completed doll, along with the purchasing information on Sunday.

I'm Back!

Finally back home in beautiful Vancouver (pictured in the background) after my Berlin show + travels.  The show went great (it was taken down on July 5th) and I feel so refreshed from our travels that I'm exhausted. I need a vacation from the vacation.Now that we're back, there are so many exciting things to work on. So many projects in my head that I don't know which one I want to start on first.  Along with exciting new ideas that I want to work on, there are also a bunch of loose ends to tie up from existing projects (an idea for Cosmos Exploratum Genesis' costume came to me while hiking in Switzerland).First things first though, I'll be finally sending out the prizes from the Enchanted Doll Birthday contest.

Setting up the Fragility group shot

Setting up the final shot of the Fragility series before packing away the dolls for the flight to Berlin. Those last two weeks were such a blur of sleepless nights and working-like-a-zombie-days, that I don't remember much of what happened. I don't even recall how I finished the last couple of dolls. Short term Amnesia. Really. After I got some sleep in Berlin and recovered a bit, I was pleasantly surprised that they turned out very nice.I think I'm wearing my airport clothes in the shot.

Fortunatar and Olga Artist Statements

Fortunatar 2010

This porcelain doll is wearing a one of a kind, sterling silver crown and an East Indian wedding saree over her thick, silky and exceptionally long hair. Her face is a new limited edition design inspired by the ancient Kama Sutra paintings. The crown style is influenced by both Russian and Turkish headdresses and although very tall and intricate, it is very light.

Fortu-n-atar is my fictional deity of the trading caravan routes who protects and helps navigate the caravans to safety in the harsh and dangerous environment of the world’s deserts. Although she is very rarely seen, the sound of singing dunes can signal her divine presence and protection.

Sometimes the eerie sound of singing dunes can be accompanied by a distant, shimmering mirage of a beautiful, young woman with copper-colored skin a bright veil standing in the hot sands, which is considered to be a sign of great luck and fortune. Such rare sightings are revered as an extraordinary blessing; however, one must never try to approach the mirage, as this act can bring ill fortune, financial ruin and even death to the traders and travelers who experience it.

Olga Larina. 2010

Porcelain doll in a Limited Edition Sterling silver Bonnet and one of a kind, remodeled Sterling Silver shoes. Wig is magnetic. Bonnet is removable and attaches with a pin and a bow.

This doll is based on a literary character from Eugin Onegin novel by Alexander Pushkin. Eugin Onegin is a brilliant novel in verse, set in the 18^th century Russia and Olga is the younger sister of the main protagonist of the story Tatiana Larina, and the more traditional symbol of feminine beauty of the two women.

Unlike her unconventional, dark-haired and slightly Emo sister, Olga is a perfect Romantic heroine, and her perfection makes her almost uninteresting in the eyes of the author to develop her character in great depth. It is after all Tatiana’s story, not Olga’s, but both of the sisters suffer from tragic love and loss in different ways. This is how Pushkin describes Olga. I tried to capture his words in my own language of porcelain.

Of Olga…..

Всегда скромна, всегда послушна, Всегда как утро весела, Как жизнь поэта простодушна, Как поцелуй любви мила; Глаза, как небо, голубые, Улыбка, локоны льняные, Движенья, голос, легкий стан, Все в Ольге... но любой роман Возьмите и найдете верно Ее портрет: он очень мил, Я прежде сам его любил, Но надоел он мне безмерно.

Of Olga. Loose translation.

Always modest, always obedient,Always cheerful as the morning,Simple as a poet's life,And sweet as a kiss of love;Eyes blue like the sky,Smile, hair as linen,Movement, voice, and easy grace,All in Olga ... But take any romanceand find her portrait to beVery lovely indeed,I used to be infatuated with it,But it has bored me immensely.

Elizabeth Bathory (person) in True Blood!

So, I'm a big fan of True Blood. It's a show about vampires and humans co-existing almost peacefully in modern society. It's a really interesting show and a good parallel to social equality movement such women's rights and gay rights.I'm not particularly into vampires, and I especially despise Twilight, having only seen previews for the movies. But True Blood is alright; it's original, because it gives human vs supernatural theme a somewhat new slant. Oh, and it's full of all kinds of entertaining things most cable channels would consider too vulgar to show. The narrative is very engaging too. And Alexander Skarsgard is in it. Needless to say, it's my favorite show right now.So, imagine how delighted I was to hear a brief mention of Elizabeth Bathory in the last episode! No, not my doll, but the actual person. I mean, whoa, I had just made a doll of her! And they bring her up in the show! I almost fell off the chair when I heard it.Anyway. The doll Elizabeth Bathory was just sold a couple of days ago. Amalgamation is gone too. Only three dolls remain available at this point: Virgin, Olga and Fortunatar.Man, I still can't get over the coincidence. It's like the universe knew!

Meeting Nati

Something awesome has happened in Basel aside from the art fair this year: I finally met in person my kindred spirit, a fellow artist and a long time internet friend- Nati.After years of making plans to visit each other, fate has finally intervened and decreed that Nati and I should be in Basel, Switzerland at the same time. Even after we made plans to meet in a certain place at a certain time in Basel, we actually ended up accidentally running into each other point blank in a completely different place in Basel. Turns out it's a small city. Or a small world. It was a pleasant surprise, though neither of us recognized the other at first, or simply refused to believe that we could just run into each other like that in a city that was foreign to us both.We spent the rest of the somewhat warm afternoon hanging out on the bank of river Rhine, nibbling on snacks and drinking these really cool miniature bottles of wine. Both, mini wine bottles and the whole drinking outside thing were a very exotic novelty to me, because outdoor drinking is illegal in Vancouver. The whole experience was very pleasant and I even got a little sun burn.Nati is awesome. I'm so glad we finally met. Even if the circumstances were a little strange.Don't know who Nati is?  Find out by checking out her site.

Fragility Group Shot

Here are all the dolls from the Fragility show together in a group shot.  Posing them like this was a fun challenge; fun in trying to get them all to fit together, but a challenge to have them not block each other.  Seems each one wanted to steal the focus of the shot.At this point, most of the show is sold out and all but five dolls remain available at the gallery.We're at the art fair in Basel with the gallery until tonight, but tomorrow we're parting ways as Chad and I leave for Bern and the beginning of our actual holidays in Switzerland. Woo! I hope the weather improves. Sightseeing in the rain is unpleasant.

I'm on a German Radio

Here's a short clip from the radio interview I did with Motor FM in Berlin, promoting the Fragility show, along with Yasha Young from the Strychnin gallery.I expect to get the mp3 of the full interview soon, I'll post it when I do (even though this clip shows most of my segment, most of the rest is Yasha speaking in German).Watching this interview I notice that I guesture a lot, which doesn't really work when on the radio...Link to the video

Anna Karenina and The Bloody Lady Elizabeth Bathory

I will be posting the artist's statements I wrote for each doll that were hung next to them in the gallery. I was wanting to do it earlier, but didn't get around to it with all the preparations for the opening.

Anna Karenina Survives The Train. 2010

This one-of-a-kind engraved, porcelain doll, features a complex, full-body, color tattoo of an orthopedic corset and a prosthetic leg device. Face is one of a kind. Magnetic wig is removable, and permanently styled into intricate braiding adorned with a Victorian copper comb.This doll is based on the main protagonist from the majestic and tragic novel Anna Karenina written by Leo Tolstoy. I tried to re-imagine Anna’s heartbreaking love story with a different ending where she survives her horrific suicide attempt at jumping under a slow-moving train, but sustains severe, disfiguring injuries, losing her left leg, mangling her left arm and breaking her back instead.I took the metaphor of straight-laced, yet decadent attitudes of Victorian Russian society that governed and ultimately decided Anna’s fate, and interpreted it in a literal, visual way as her medical bondage braces and prosthetic devices, which now literally hold her shattered body together. She is protected, yet restrained by the inhumanity of social conventions. I wonder if surviving her suicide would make any difference in her destiny despite her transgression of the status quo.Amongst a myriad of deeply philosophical issues, the biggest question that the novel Anna Karenina leaves one with is perhaps whether love can really conquer all.A part of me wants to believe that Anna’s near death experience would serve as a powerful epiphany for her and her lover count Alexey Vronsky, and transform their deteriorating relationship back into a loving union it once was, but a realist in me questions this idealistic approach, rationalizing that her difficult situation in life brought on by breaking the social rules and conventions of the day, and can not have a long-term, happy resolution unless all the stigma of her illicit relationship is removed and her public image reinstated.The incident may cause a profound spiritual awakening for her and Alex, but they will continue to face the same external problems of gender inequity, which have undone their powerful love before.Sadly, their first near death experience is a testament that perhaps love does not conquer all: When Anna nearly dies during childbirth and Alexey shoots himself in despair of losing her, both survive and are overcome with gratitude and love for each other, but their happiness is fleeting as it provides only a temporary, idealized escape from their difficult situation, followed by an eventual boredom, loneliness, frustration and inevitable return to a grim reality.Will this, second near death experience with an added problem of Anna’s disability be any more profound and lasting than the first? Perhaps, but I’m skeptical.And yet, a romantic in me believes in Anna’s life, while John Milton’s quote from Paradise Lost encourages me to believe that perhaps there could have been a happy ending for Anna Karenina after all:“The mind is its own place, and in itself, Can make a heav’n of hell, a hell of heav’n.”Perhaps Anna and Alex could have made their own heaven in the hell that they found themselves?I re-imagined the climax scene where Alexey finds Anna broken, but alive instead of dead and mutilated on the table at the train station where they had carried her body, and the despair and grief of her ugly death turns instead into relief and a renewal of their love for each other. Just like in Disney movies, they embrace, kiss, and ride off into the sunset, leaving their superficial selves, the superficial society that bred them and all its false idols behind to live happily ever after. The End.

The Bloody Lady Elizabeth Bathory. 2010

One of a kind, porcelain, ball-jointed, costumed doll. A very complex costume is assembled from 23 separate, original Sterling Silver pieces with 24k gold plating and an Indian wedding saree skirt. All clothes and accessories are removable. Face is one of a kind. Removable wig is magnetic.This doll is based on a real historical figure of Transilvanian countess Elizabeth Bathory (17 August 1560 – 21 August 1614), from the renowned Báthory family.Allegedly, Elizabeth was a sadistic serial killer who tortured and murdered as many as six hundred girls in a span of 20 years. Despite going down in history as the most prolific female serial killer with a kill rate of mythological proportions, there is very little historical evidence against her. In fact, when considered in a larger historical and political context, it appears that Elizabeth was a victim of an aristocratic conspiracy with a resulting mass hysteria, and that her original accusers were politically, financially and possibly, ideologically motivated.Regardless of evidence, history appears to be infatuated with the image of this woman as a ruthless murderer, even if this image is nothing but a myth. Her presence in history is as mysterious and secretive as her enigmatic smile, which could hide either a twisted sociopath, or an innocent victim of slander.Although we will never know the truth behind the Bloody Lady Elizabeth Bathory, we must consider these following historical facts before condemning her:There is the lack of the most basic proof: the victim’s names. There aren’t any official names on record of Bathory’s alleged victims, or bodies for that matter. It was said that she had killed daughters of peasantry as well as lesser nobility. But who are these missing women exactly?The logistics of murder don’t make sense either. Elizabeth was accused of killing around 600 girls in 20 years. That means she killed 30 people a year. That’s 1 murder every 12 days. How could such a visible public figure get away with such an astronomical kill rate for 20 years, in a region with a population of much less than three hundred thousand people? Where was she getting all these women and why was virtually nobody noticing this, except for one single minister Istvan Magyari? One would think that if daughters were going missing left and right every month in villages, there would be some sort of a public concern and even a panic. Instead, the “rumors” of murders had began to spread only after the official investigation had already started.Another interesting detail is the fact that when King Matthias of Hungary ordered the investigation into the rumors of murders, he was heavily indebted to the wealthy and influential Elizabeth Bathory. Based on flimsy, hearsay witness testimony, King Matthis had her imprisoned without any formal trial, conviction or further punishment and avoided having to repay her the large sum of money for which he lacked sufficient funds.Elizabeth Bathory’s case happened at a time of religious upheaval and hostility in Hungary. As a Transilvanian Protestant aristocrat, she was a political opposition to King Matthis, who was an Austrian Roman Catholic.My final argument in favor of Elizabeth Bathory’s innocence is that her case shows evidence not only of political conspiracy, but also of the mass hysteria phenomenon, where a runaway public fear clouds all rational judgment, leading to escalating panic and severe miscarriages of justice. Such cases and trials are often characterized by absurd accusations, unfounded witness testimony, extremely biased public opinion, coercive interrogations and incompetent investigative techniques.I see a distinct parallel between Elizabeth Bathory’s murder investigation and the of mass hysteria of the famous Salem witch trials of 1692, the Kern County Satanic ritual child abuse hysteria of 1983 and the West Memphis Three murders of 1993, where all accusations began with one person and grew out of thin air into frenzied fear and everyone conveniently forgot that a person is innocent until proven guilty beyond any reasonable doubt.

Thank You

The show has finally opened, all the dolls are finished and on display, and I want to thank everyone that came to the opening, both in person and on the live webcast.The opening went really well, I feel like I didn't stop talking the entire time as I tried to answer everyone's questions.I had a really good time at the show, but I'm glad it's over and I can take a bit of a break.  The weeks leading up to it are all a blur as I worked to complete everything in time.The dolls will remain on display at the Strychnin Gallery until July 4th.For those that go to the show and take pictures, we've made a flickr group where you can share them with others.  We will be uploading our shots from the opening soon, but for now it's off to Switzerland to attend Art fair Scope Basel (June 15 - 19, 2010) where one of my dolls will be on display.

Opening Night - Live Stream

For those that can't make it to Berlin tonight, the Strychnin team have rigged up a webcam and are streaming video from the gallery.*edit: Link removed as the stream has ended*

Olga Larina

Only one day left until the show!  Still a bit more work to do for the setup.

Preview of the Fragility Dolls

The dolls that will be shown at the "Fragility" show in Berlin at the Strychnin gallery have been unveiled.You can see them on the gallery's website at www.strychnin.com, clicking "for sale" and then "Fragility", or you can click right here.If you need to see more, which I anticipate many of you will, additional shots have been uploaded to flickr, with a few more going up later.Now back to setting up the show, need to get these girls ready for their big live debut.