In the collective imagination dolls usually remind us of to the lost world of childhood: miniature of men and women, robbed of vitality and expressivity. Childhood game.
But the world behind adult people that collect and sometimes play with dolls, is completely unusual.
I’ve never had a good relationship with dolls, but when I discovered the world of BJD (Bolled-Jointed Dolls), I was attracted by their humanity, dolls made of synthetic resin, adjustable and customisable in every detail: hair style, make up, skin colour.
These Miniatures of humans both realistic and influenced by japan anime, became perfect models for fashion shooting to be posted on tumblr, flickr and facebook.
More surprising, it was discovered that behind this game there was a world of adult collectors and customizers from every part of the world, with ages varying from 25 to 50, and of every gender with different personalities: from the McDonald's saleswoman that reinvented herself as a make-up artist for dolls, to the tattoo artist that draws little tattoos on the dolls, from mothers to students.
But in both cases the connection from these dolls and their collectors is evident.
My idea of making these portraits was born from here. Old portraits, reread in a modern view modern-looking is new trend for modern collectors.