Doll-Parts is a series of drawings presenting part-human, part-doll figures. The series explores our tendency to surrender to external ideas/ideals, as opposed to connecting to our true heart's desires.

 

The Doll-Parts series started as a play on words of the English phrase: “Would you be a doll and…”, or in other words, “ Be nice and...”. To put it simply, the drawings in the series represent the places where we wish to please others at our own expense. And since the phrase is usually addressing women, the first images in the series focused on feminist issues like body image, wearing makeup, and other gender-related issues. 

 

After some time, Shiran noticed that our tendency to misalign our hearts goes deeper than gender. In fact, that misalignment is present in almost everything we do; love, relationships, health, spirituality, etc.

 

The images in this series convey the artist's personal experience as well as heart-to-heart, intimate talks with strangers who volunteered to share their stories.

 

Why part-doll, part-human?

 

The “doll” parts in the drawings are the wooden mannequins, and they act as a symbol of our external ideas and ideals. In the art world, the wooden mannequin is a tool that helps develop drawing skills and make the drawing task easier.  It does so by breaking complex concepts (the human body) into shapes that are easier to see and draw.

 

The danger in using the mannequin lies in getting caught in the method and its constraints. The same danger exists when it comes to ideas and ideals we pick up from the world around us. 

 

Social ideals/ideas/roles can make our lives more comfortable and simpler, like the wooden mannequin, but they don’t always fit. When they don't fit, the individual in the box stays miserable by trying to live up to the ill-fitting standards.

 

The human part in the drawings symbolise our hearts, or true calling, if you wish. That’s where each of us is the same, yet different. It is where our hearts manifest into form.