Philadelphia-based artist C.W.Wells recycles and repurposes doll parts and discarded action figures, mixing in scale figure accessories and her own ceramic creations, assembling her constructions into enigmatic dreamscapes.
The effect recalls the broken toy figurines in the films of Jan Svankmajer or the Brothers Quay. Carefully lit and photographed, the damaged characters that populate Wells’ tabletop tableaus seem to pose with the same wounded solemnity as subjects in a Diane Arbus photograph.
Frankenstein, an evocation of recombined body parts, is a recurring character in Wells’ work, it’s melancholic porcelain face attached to all manner of bodies. Family Portrait, seen here, is at once disturbing and darkly humorous.
C.W.Wells’ work can be seen in her massive “Snailbooty” Flickr gallery, where every image surprises and defies you to decode its secrets. Here is the Frankenstein-tagged gallery.
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5 comments:
Those are terrific, I'm going to go see the rest of her work right now.
By the way, I'm in the middle of my second annual Frankenstein week right now. Feel free to stop by.
Those are incredible. They need their own Pixar movie!
What a nice surprise to see my friend C.W. Wells' work here when I came to pay a visit to the Frankenblog. I love this piece and so many more of hers. Please do check out her flickr site! She's a wonderful artist, creative mastermind and an inspiration to me and so many others!
very charming. where's Rankin-Bass when you need them?
These are wonderful. C.W. I am blushing with shame...can U see it from there? I still have the many photos you sent me 14 yrs ago after the Delaware show. My email is barktok@mindspring.com...please email me your address so I can return them.
Linda
ps. I've been "repurposing" barbies, kens, and other dolls for videos. Google "barkinglips". More anon.
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