A Dollmaker’s Delight

Luminaries of the doll art world were in Riga this month, taking part in the European Professional Doll Art Festival.

Housed in the Latvian Railway History Museum from Sept 10-13, the festival hosted dolls from across the world. 110 professional artists and art school students from the USA, France, Italy, Israel, Estonia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Finland, Switzerland, Ukraine and Germany were on show.

Works from the American doll artist E.J. Taylor were there, whose style has been praised for its unsettling beauty; as were those of the Swiss based Latvian Olga Roehl - whose expressive dolls burst with life and colour.

The Ukrainian doll artist Tamara Pivnyuk, in particular, had some terrific works on show. She considers art dolls as a unique synthetic genre of fine arts, where any creative person has unlimited possibilities to express and implement his or her ideas, fantasies and dreams.

Importantly for Pivnyuk, it is a medium that allows a return to one’s childhood, even if only for a while.

The work of Dutch doll artist Marlain Verhelst also formed part of this distinguished group. Visitors to the festival discovered a riot of animal imagery in Verhelst’s marionettes, which feature delicately webbed hands and elaborate headpieces, as well as more elementary Mickey-Mouse-type ears. Her works were of a delicately avant-garde nature, and were a delight to behold.

Santa Liepa, from the Ināra Liepa’s Travelling Doll Art Museum, and an organiser of the festival, noted that the  Elena Gromova Gallery from Moscow made its first appearance in Riga and presented some truly outstanding dolls.

The Elena Gromova Gallery first opened ten years ago, and has gained an international reputation for its prestigious permanent exhibitions, its   educational center, as well as being an organizer of conferences and scientific research in the field of art.

Furthermore, several more names - which in the doll art world require no introduction - had their dolls on show at the festival. Russian Alexandra Khudyakova, for one, who has attained perfection in the genre of classic doll making. Khudyakova’s porcelain works are naturalistic and elegant, and her dolls outfits detailed and luxurious. Tatiana Bayeva, Ima Narodickaya and many other brilliant artists exhibited their creations at the festival.

The Festival has created, according to Santa Liepa, a completely new and vibrant addition to Riga's cultural life.

‘’I think that the European Professional Doll Art Festival gives everyone an excellent opportunity to expand their horizon of what is happening in  the world of visual art, and also for Latvian aspiring artists – to establish creative contacts with world-class artists.” she said. “Not to mention gaining tremendous experience and inspiration, in viewing so many outstanding artworks which have been assembled in one place for the festival.’’

She added: ‘’Our aim is to show how diverse the doll art can be – mysterious, serious, provocative, gentle, playful, affectionate, sensuous, striking, sometimes not understandable and acceptable by all ... and yet outstanding because it can show the essence of human nature, our emotions and world perception. Maintaining it for future generations is our way of giving testimony of the time we live in.”

Inara Liepa has herself spent more than 20 years to the promotion and development of professional dolls’ art in Latvia and abroad. She has since 1990 taken part in professional dolls’ art exhibitions throughout the world.

She is the founder of Riga’s Dolls’ Art Museum.  The Museum has seen its fair share of challenges. In  2012 it had to vacate its premises in Old Riga. This however enabled Liepa to reconsider the Museum’s existence. The museum as Liepa stated ‘’faced either closing or developing a new type of operation.’’

‘’When I was packing the exposition. I had an idea of creating a travelling exposition and now it is suitcases that have become ‘’homes’’ for the museum's dolls and toys,’’ she said, pointing out that her reinvented style of exhibiting the works in a nomadic way has been widely praised across Europe.

Santa Liepa also noted that the Estonian doll art studio “14 steps” also presented a unique exhibition – as did doll artists from Pskov.

Latvia was represented not only by the country’s young talent – students of the Art Academy of Latvia and the Riga Design and Art School - but also by noted and much loved Latvian authors such as Elita Patmalniece, Kristiana Dimitere, Martiņs Heimrats, Aivars Vilipsons and many other masters of the craft.

Further information is available at www.dollart.lv

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