dolls: creepy or crafty?

While reading the second issue of Craft: Magazine, I came across an article about Marina Bychkova. She grew up in Siberia but went to art school in Canada. She creates these exquisite dolls made from porcelain and sews outfits for them. Most of the outfits are heavily beaded, and it's incredible how much detail she puts into them. She also challenges social constructions of gender and beauty, which I find very interesting. One of my favorite dolls is Lotus, a Chinese woman who practices foot-binding. Marina actually forms the feet as they would look from being bound, and it's really disturbing. Her outfit is so beautifully beaded, it's shocking to find those feet beneath the hem. I suggest you check her out.