Fashion dolls are usually designed to be a blank canvas for the outfits in which they’re dressed, but one Swedish artist’s handcrafted dolls have an idiosyncratic look that’s all their own, even in the nude. Emilie Steele creates incredibly detailed ball-jointed dolls that are designed to tell their own stories. “I’ve always had the urge to create characters and [tell] their stories through handcraft and design,” Steele tells The Creators Project. “When I was a child, handmade dolls were one of my many ways to express myself, however back then they were made out of paper or textile. I suppose my fascination [with] representation and construction, as well as stop-motion animation being one of my biggest inspirations, made my interest [in] dolls linger beyond childhood play.”
Steele’s educational background includes fashion, and metal arts, as well as crafts and design. The combination of these experiences have certainly given Steele a foundation for making dolls that go beyond a kid’s fascination. “Doll-making enables me to combine my artistic interests as well as create non-static, open-ended pieces of art.” In addition to her education, Steele says that her work is informed by illustration, films, books, and her gender identity.
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