This is “Gwendolyn the Tattooed Lady”
A new textile art doll I made for the Contemporary Textile Art exhibition at Manifacto Gallery Amsterdam, opening tonight (Sun 4th of Feb 2018)
This doll sculpture is inspired by the (mostly upper class) Victorian women who covered their bodies in beautiful tattoos.
There are some interesting reads about this daring exhibition of the body art,
for instance on this blog and this article in the New Yorker
The face of this doll is three dimensional and needle sculpted.
I used mohair for her wig and braided it along her neck and arm.
I drew inspiration from vintage tattoos which I illustrated with water colors onto the fabric
In her chest, this doll wears a beetle in resin, framed in vintage lace
Gwendolyn will be on display at the Tattoo Parlor / Gallery in Amsterdam until the 24th of March,
alongside the works of more amazing contemporary textile artists, such as the fabulous Cabbages and Nettles and Anna Jonsson