Why do we always have no resistance to cute dolls?
Recently, ice piers and snow melting have "dominated" hot searches and become the "top stream" during the Winter Olympics. The cute dolls that became popular on social media, as well as Ling Na Belle, who was queued up by people to buy some time ago, and the giant snow sculpture of Changbai Mountain Tianchi Kaws competing for photos. Contrary to the rapid development of today's technology, we have increasingly lost our resistance to primitive and naïve cute dolls.
Kataoka Meriyas
In 2019, American artist Jeff Koons sold his large sculpture "Rabbit" made of stainless steel for a high price of $9100, which immediately became the world's most expensive doll, and the commercial value of "cute" climbed to the peak. For many artists, a doll is much more than that.
Jeff Koons
Every doll,
It's all a life
Our dependence on dolls stems largely from our fantasies about their personification. Japanese artist Kataoka Kataoka is like this, whenever she creates a doll, she explores the character of the doll by eating, sleeping, and playing with it, thus giving it a suitable name.
When the dolls are bought, Kataoka says, "The owner will find their own charm when they come home." From 2011 to 2018, Kataoka has created more than 2,500 "little lives." In 2019, Kataoka organized these works into a picture book "Kataoka Meriyasu 2011-2018".
《Kataoka Meriyasu 2011-2018》
When asked why she likes these stuffed toys so much, she believes that dolls first give people a sense of security, and each doll is actually a unique individual, "there is something inexplicable in their hearts, because they come from a surreal place." In last year's exhibition called "A≠B≠C", Kataoka presented some teddy bears that look exactly the same, and designed many different identities and personalities for them, hoping to let us observe that each seemingly identical "life" actually contains a unique "vitality".
But not all dolls can be cherished, and the fate of others has slipped into "hell". Ernesto Stewart, a 25-year-old boy from California, opened an online toy store called Honey Lambs in 2018 with the intention of rescuing and giving them a second life. Most of the time, because the dolls are "devastated", by the time Ernesto discovers them, they are in such bad shape that they even undergo "physical mutations".
Ernesto Stewart
Therefore, out of absolute protection for dolls, Ernesto will send a "certificate of adoption" with an oath to customers who buy dolls in his toy store:
"I adopted a toy that didn't look right because it suffered so much torture and pain. Although it still carries trauma in its heart, I am ready to accept all this and love it and all its partners in the future. ”
Ernesto originally designed some dolls and has launched three dolls with official character settings: Tummy-Tum, a two-headed bear rescued from the fourth layer of Hell, whose left body is intelligent and likes to read and poetry, whose right body is relatively simple and likes to play with mud and bugs; Pansy, who was rescued from the sand, has mutated nine eyes at that time, but has now recovered after treatment, it likes pink and music, stupid and kind Clarice, a six-legged lamb rescued from the daffodil meadows of the Greek kingdom, is quiet and gentle and a daydreamer who likes to breathe fresh air.
Another part of Ernesto's work is his remodeled old dolls, the most impressive of which is a doll created in 2014, where he recombines a 1950s TV music box with the doll's head, which plays cartoon patterns and music when the switch is turned. When asked about the original intention of the creation, Ernesto said that these dolls, which are not perfect or even a little "ugly", are a gift he wants to give to the rejected and excluded children in reality, "There are people in this world who have felt empathy with you, you are not alone, you can survive, you are loved." 」 ”
When the ordinary doll is enlarged,
Its appeal is also magnified
A small doll may be very ordinary in our lives, but when the artist amplifies it in real life, they have another charm that cannot be ignored. Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman is like this, who is obsessed with placing all kinds of enlarged animal dolls in front of people's eyes: rabbits, caterpillars, fish, pandas, and so on. But his best-known work is a 16.5-meter-tall yellow rubber duck that debuted at the 2007 Biennales of Nantes and Saint-Nazaire in France.
Florentine Hofman
The rubber duck subsequently appeared in the ports of several cities around the world and became wildly popular, "it is undoubtedly the most striking public work of art in the world today." "Because Florentijn opposed the commercialization of the work, he insisted that the duck should only be placed in public waters." Lake and Sea is our global bathtub, we need to keep it simple, and this rubber duck also needs to be kept as a simple rubber duck. ”
Through this duck, which knows no borders, races, or languages, Florentijn hopes to convey happiness and healing to people. Whenever a duck completes its "traveling exhibition," Florentijn destroys it instantly, "I don't think art is timeless. "Florentijn will also donate the proceeds to non-profit organizations if it is released.
Another artist from New York, Tom Sachs, is also known for creating large dolls. The difference is that most of the popular cartoon dolls he reproduced, such as Hello Kitty, My Melody, Miffy, etc. Generally, when making dolls, Tom will first use a white foam core to make an enlarged version of the doll, and then cast it in bronze. In order to reflect the original material of the foam core, Tom specially painted the bronze surface white.
Tom Sachs
It is worth noting that Tom does not present these works flawlessly, he will retain the traces of seams, nails, cracks and other creative traces in the final finished product, presenting a visual effect of artificial carving. The collision between various materials also makes the work have a complex sense of contradiction and opposition.
Through these works, Tom hopes that we can reflect on the current consumerism and materialistic culture. The most special of these is a 2.7-meter-tall Miffy fountain that spews water from both eyes. As long as it is artificially watered, this Miffy will continue to cry.
In a series of experiments combining two otherwise unrelated objects together, in 2005 artist Urs fischer combined a bear with a table lamp to create a bronze sculpture about 7 meters high and weighing 18-20 tons. This huge bear is mottled and rough, and the expression on its face looks bitter, like a helpless and confused "island". But when the light on its head at night is turned on, it brings comfort and warmth to those who also feel lonely.
Urs fischer
Scottish artist David Shrigley is full of humorous imaginations of everyday life, and he uses colorful stick figures to decorate toys. In 2000, David transformed his paintings of white swans into a series of resin toys. This swan with a surprisingly long neck and a cute expression quickly became popular on the Internet.
David Shrigley x Third Drawer Down
In 2018, David presented 12 more inflatable swans that were almost the same height as the wall. After 4 minutes of inflation, these swans will completely exhaust the gas after 8 minutes. Swans rise and fall, completing a cycle of life every 12 minutes. The randomness of the inflation process also makes the swans present the same "physical reactions" as humans, such as looking left and right, or paralyzed on the ground.
David Shrigley
The meaning of a doll,
Can it only be cute?
Not all dolls are loved by people because of their cute appearance. On December 3, 1976, an ugly-looking pig suddenly flew over London, and all Heathrow flights were cancelled that day. In order to catch the pig, the Royal Air Force dispatched helicopters.
Jeffrey Shaw
That night, the pig landed on a farm 64 miles away in London, and the farmer complained: "My cattle are about to be scared to death by it." The pig, Algie, was conceived by Pink Floyd band member Roger Waters, who collaborated with Jeffrey Shaw, an artist who was then adept at making large inflatables, planned to take a photo of the pig flying over Battersea Power Station for the cover of his album Animals. The power station was also the largest brick building in London at the time, known for its lavish décor.
Pink Floyd《Animals》
This pig was inspired by George Orwell's dystopian novel Animal Farm. In the novel, in order to establish an equal animal society, the animals on the farm launch a revolution to drive humans away. However, the fruits of their revolution were eventually stolen by greedy, corrupt, and violent pigs, who became more authoritarian and totalitarian rulers than humans. Affected by the weather, the pig, which was originally used to shoot the cover, accidentally had this flight. Since then, the pig has also appeared in the band's live performances several times and has become a popular symbol widely used as a symbol of rebellion and irony.
Pink Floyd
In 2007, Artist Paola Pivi from Italy presented her colorful polar bear collection for the first time. Paola usually uses common objects in life as materials, and through the technique of misplacing and collage, the final work presents a novelty. This time she covered the bear's surface with colorful feathers and placed a large number of bears of various postures in a white space. These bears have since become her signature work.
Paola Pivi
In addition, Paola also tends to arrange for some of these bears to interact with people's daily necessities, such as mirrors, high heels, and so on. Paola did not give an explanation for the meaning behind the work. In the past decade, she has been living in the polar Alaska, and the living situation of the local polar bear is now becoming more and more serious.
Although we tend to see dolls as a human companion, in fact, the prototypes of these dolls that give us countless love are real animals from nature. Like these dolls, they require our love and companionship. In 1998, British artist Damien Hirst's work "Art's About Life, the Art World is About Money" warns us to reflect on the relationship between human beings and nature.
Damien Hirst
In his work, a group of dolls are competing at auction for animal carcasses that are encased in glass instruments and soaked in solution. He tried to ask, can each of us in the audience leave the seat that consumes animal carcasses?
Let's talk
What kind of dolls have you ever owned?
Written by/Xiao Liu
edit
/ Kuding tea
Typography/Koko
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