WorkArt & Culture

Innocent and traditional porcelain dolls that become modern day painted ladies

We've featured the wonderful work of Jessica Harrison before, sharing her rather dark but amusing series where she takes innocent porcelain dolls and turns them into gory creations in various states of injury.

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All images courtesy of the artist

All images courtesy of the artist

Her latest work involves the same beautiful ceramic ladies, but this time – they're covered in tattoos of every description. The contrast between the traditional ballgowns and delicate features alongside the colourful markings is really quite remarkable. It's a wonderful mix of the old and the new, turning something that is quite dated into a contemporary work of art.

Born in St Bees in 1982, Jessica moved to Scotland to study sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art in 2000, going on to do an MFA before completing a practice-led PhD in sculpture in 2013 funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Her research considers the relationship between interior and exterior spaces of the body, but looks neither inwards towards a hidden core, nor outwards from the subconscious, instead looking orthogonally across the skin to the movement of the body itself, using the surface of the body as a mode of both looking and thinking.

Discover more at www.jessicaharrison.co.uk.

Porcelain doll with auburn hair wearing a cream and red ballgown, adorned with colourful tattoo designs covering her arms, chest and torso
Porcelain doll figure wearing a pale yellow ballgown with elaborate tattoo designs covering the neck, shoulders and arms, adorned with coloured flowers in her white hair
Porcelain doll figurine in a white ballgown decorated with colourful floral and butterfly paintings, wearing a decorative collar and cuff with ornate patterning
Ceramic doll wearing a pink ballgown with tattooed arms featuring roses, stars, wings and mystical symbols in black ink
Porcelain doll with blonde hair wearing a blue corset and white ball gown, with ornate tattoo designs covering her neck, chest, arms and legs
Porcelain figurine of a woman in a red ballgown with flowing pink skirt, wearing a decorative patterned jacket with colourful tattoo designs covering her arms and chest
Porcelain doll with voluminous blonde hair wearing a red ballgown and white puffed sleeves, covered in tattoos depicting ships, flowers, hearts and nautical imagery
Ceramic figure of a woman wearing a lavender ballgown, with tattooed arms and torso decorated with snakes, flowers, crosses and text designs by Jessica Harrison
Rear view of a porcelain doll wearing a lavender ballgown and patterned long-sleeved top, with tattoo designs covering the visible skin and a lime green bow in her hair
Porcelain doll with auburn hair wearing a pink ballgown, covered in detailed tattoo designs across her shoulders, arms and chest depicting ships, anchors and floral motifs
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