Popov sisters. non human Automatic translate

Erarta Museum presents an exhibition of Ekaterina and Elena Popov, a duet of twin sisters who create futuristic dolls. The works of the artists fascinated Jean-Paul Gaultier, Louis Vuitton shoe designer Fabrizio Viti, photographer Nick Knight, Yolandi Fisser of Die Antwoord, singers GRIMES and Fka Twigs — and continue their triumphal march around the world.

The creations of the Popov sisters are more than just “dolls”. Their futuristic heroines are a phenomenon of the fashion industry and contemporary art. They are hunted by collectors around the world from Jean-Paul Gaultier to Nick Knight; their photographs regularly appear on the pages of Vogue, The New York Times, Huffpost, Infringe, as well as many Japanese publications, which means real recognition in the professional world of BJD masters.

Making ball-jointed dolls (BJDs) is a labor-intensive process. Made of polyurethane, porcelain or paperclay, they require careful maintenance and are not originally designed to be played with. Thanks to the movable "joints" - connections, BJDs are able to take any poses, and this makes them ideal models for photo shoots. A series of puppet shots quickly gained popularity on the Internet, and by the early 2000s, BJD had become an international subculture. Having reached Russia, this direction has found here its loyal fans and megastars, such as the Popov sisters. Working on dolls turned professional fashion designers Katya and Lena into sculptors, make-up artists, hair stylists and photographers.

The Non-Human exhibition at the Erarta Museum will bring together more than 20 dolls from different years: exhibits from their first CULT, SKIN and GARTER collections, works from the Japanese and African series, the WIDOW SISTERS and BLUE SKIN series, which rethinks Gzhel painting, as well as the new Feathered Serpent collection. Viewers will also see videos featuring these unusual characters and their photographs.

In their work, the authors are inspired by unusual and bright representatives of modern pop culture. For example, a translucent anthropomorphic cyber goddess “dressed” in a highly detailed polyurethane skin cyber-shell is the central character of the Miss Anthropocene album by Canadian artist GRIMES. But the Popov sisters create not only fantastic girls - their collection also includes realistic dolls in the image of Madonna, John Galliano, lead singer of the Finnish HIM band Ville Valo, Johnny Depp in the image of Jack Sparrow, Dita Von Teese and Marilyn Manson.

Whatever image the artists choose for their dolls – seductive widows, schoolgirls tattooed “under Gzhel” or cyber geisha – each of them is an aesthetic ideal. However, this ideal is far from the standards: for the Popov sisters there is no line between beautiful and ugly, forbidden and permitted, human and inhuman. They oppose the generally accepted standards of beauty with what, at first glance, may seem defective and even repulsive. However, it is precisely the cute flaws: protruding ears, uneven teeth, unhealthy thinness that give these dolls a special appeal. Seeing them once, the viewer can hardly forget them. By changing the usual outlines of the body - lengthening the neck, increasing the joints and bending the feet inconceivably, the Popov sisters create a provocation: the fragile creatures they have generated could give the impression of painfully helpless and touchingly pliable, if not for their impenetrable gaze, thoughtful poses and perfect, as if on alert, costumes, hairstyles and makeup. Their creations fascinate the viewer with their plasticity, confuse, set traps for the imagination.