Dollsare

Dollsare is a brand and online project devoted to doll-centric art and media. The term is used as a stylized name for a creative practice that encompasses sculpture, animation, photography, and zines, often blending traditional dollmaking techniques with digital fabrication and mixed media. The project treats dolls as objects with social resonance, exploring themes of memory, childhood, gender, and materiality.

Origins and development: The project emerged in the early 2010s on online platforms where an artist using the moniker dollsare published works and tutorials. It expanded into gallery exhibitions, collaborative installations, and an independent publishing program, including small-print zines and catalogues. The practice has maintained a DIY ethos while engaging with contemporary art discourse.

Practice and style: Works typically feature handmade dolls or doll-like figures reimagined with unconventional materials and textures. Techniques include hand-sculpting, resin casting, 3D printing, stop-motion, and photography. Installations may combine figures with found objects, specialized lighting, and sound to create immersive environments. The visual language often blends whimsy with introspective or eerie undertones, inviting commentary on perception and representation.

Impact and reception: Dollsare has a niche but active following within contemporary art and maker communities. Critics note its craftsmanship, inventive use of accessible materials, and thoughtful engagement with the cultural meanings attached to dolls. Some discussions address the balance between play and discomfort in the subject matter and how the works complicate familiar narratives around childhood objects.

See also: Doll art, Contemporary sculpture, Stop-motion animation.