Dolls and
Dollhouses
Assemblable ceramic dolls and wooden dollhouse rooms, performed by exhibition viewers
A collection of eight porcelain customizable doll figurines, presented alongside a laser-cut dollhouse made of interlocking puzzle pieces shaped like shipping crates. The work is the third in a series developed this quarter, alongside a digital dress-up roleplaying game exploring mental health in a fictionalized contemporary Lithuania.
In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, moving crates carry deep significance, here symbolizing displacement, the shipping of aid, and the will to survive. The work grew into a response to Porcelain War (dir. Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev), a documentary following ceramicist and soldier Slava Leontyev and his wife, ceramicist Anya Stasenko, creating under Russian invasion. Their intricately painted animal figurines stand as witnesses to war and symbols of Ukrainian resilience: "much like porcelain itself: easy to break, yet impossible to destroy." By working in porcelain, this piece honors their medium and the fragility it evokes against unthinkable violence.
The project is also rooted in the importance of play, for children's development and as a tool for coping and healing among adults. The shift toward a more hopeful, play-centered work was intentional, a response to a year of focusing on grief and doom. The dolls are arranged to invite viewer interaction, to be held, admired, and given stories, moving beyond the artist's own narrative into something shared and alive. Play here becomes the message of hope.
