Ilona SZWARC (ur. 1984)

Kayla, Boston, Massachusetts, 2012 from the American Girls series

2012/2014
pigment print, Canson Baryta Photographique 310 g, 61 x 48.3 cm (73.7 x 61 cm),
signed, dated and described on the reverse,
edition: 2/10


American Girls is a series of portraits of girls in the United States who own American Girl dolls. The design of the dolls embodies contemporary cultural values. They were conceived to be anti-Barbie toys modeled on the body of a nine-year-old. Each doll can be customized to look exactly like its owner, yet all of them really look the same. American Girl dolls offer an illusion of choice and therefore an illusion of individuality. With a wide variety of miniature accessories, they are perhaps the most luxurious toys ever invented. The American Girl product defines and categorizes American girls- future American women- and that fact raises important questions about who gets represented and how.
Award: 3rd prize in the Observed Portraits category, World Press Photo (2013).
Exhibitions: Foley Gallery, New York; Maison de la Photographie, Lille, France; Galerie Claude Samuel, Paris, France.
Publications (2013): Wysokie Obcasy, Gazeta Wyborcza; BLINK; Daily Mail.