Reflecting my own history, DOLLFACE is about the self and particular life experiences.
To plan the future we need to understand our past.
All the pieces chosen have a recognised significance for me, intimate and personal, familiar to me growing up in Australia.
The dolls hold stories. Nostalgic Stories about love, loss, emotional memory, history and identity. Our dolls carry significance, they become symbols , sentimental triggers, fables and connection’s, deepening our sense of self.
When viewing DOLLFACE you are invited to contemplate ageing, decay, moving forward, death, “ generation gaps”, the past and what the future holds. Will dolls still be comfort toys in the future, will children still play with actual objects, or, will all dolls be virtual? How will children see themselves reflected. How will they learn to mother and protect?
I have always been gifted things, unwanted, unused and unloved. At first, to play with and as an adult with the caveat “ here, have this. You might make something with it”. So every artefact comes with its own history, from friends who saw something intrinsic in each object, and didn’t just want to toss it away.
The faces and heads I have used came to me in a shoe box about 25 years ago, they were gifted to me by the daughter of Eileen Clarke, 16 Stourbridge Mt Gravatt Brisbane.
I have always been fascinated by them and treasured the quirky collection. Through them I felt a connection to Eileen . We never met , but I got to know a part of her, her imagination and intention. I hope I have done her memory proud.
“Dolls” is a vast subject to cover and as you bring your own life experiences to this Exhibition I hope you find your story here.
Helen, May 2025.
Video and photography by Carl Warner.