THE DOLL SERIES (2014)
Pop Surrealism continued to influence Kirsty’s practice in 2014, shaped further by artists such as Simona Candini, Ana Bagayan, and Camilla D’Errico.
Working in acrylic paint and soft chalk pastel on canvas and cardboard, this series confronted the unsettling theme of female villains—women capable of unspeakable acts. The works critique the objectification of women, where figures are reduced to sexualised “dolls”: admired briefly for their beauty, then discarded once their perceived worth fades.
Dolls are traditionally tied to ideals of femininity, innocence, and sweetness. In this series, those associations are inverted. The figures possess the exaggeratedly “cute” features of dolls—wide eyes and delicate proportions—yet beneath this surface is a haunting presence that unsettles the viewer. Their beauty masks something far more disturbing, a darkness that resists being ignored.
The series was exhibited at Hobart College’s Student End-of-Year Exhibition, where it was displayed alongside the work of graduating artists.
