Dolls Feminine
In the installation Dolls Feminine Susanne Hangaard portrays five
famous women as porcelain dolls in 1:2. Like the traditional
porcelain dolls they have flexible joints for them to gesticulate
and be placed in different poses. They are all made in gray-greenish
colored porcelain and dressed in individually designed costumes in
matching green silk. Each doll is provided with an abstract object
like the object of a saint – telling about the person they are
associated with.
Where dolls traditionally are anonymized Hangaard´s dolls represent
specific western world women: the catholic nun Mother Teresa
(1910-1997), the former Icelandic President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
(1930), the American first ladies Michelle Obama (1967) and Melania
Trump (1970) and the sculptor Camille Claudel (1864-1943). All women
whom have had more or less power and influence on the opinion
formation in a world traditionally shaped and ruled by men.
With Dolls Feminine Hangaard touches central issues in relation to
gender, body, identity and power. Issues where the fronts are often
very firm Hangaard insists on a nuanced portrayal of the five women.
Exhibition text: Clay Museum of Ceramic Art Denmark
Photographer: Dorte Krogh