A Gallery of Gleefully Ghoulish Dolls by Shain Erin



I found some interesting pictures the other week that I thought I would share on my blog, pictures of horrific, malformed dolls made by Shain Erin. I've seen quite a few horror-themed dolls and action figures over the years, but very few of them are as creepy as those produced by Erin. In fact, they remind me of the dark, enigmatic dolls from Richard Sala's giallo-esque graphic novel, The Chuckling Whatsit.

According to the profile Erin provided on his Wordpress site, "For the last several years I’ve been preoccupied with dolls: I see them as a long under appreciated art form with virtually unlimited expressive possibilities. I’m inspired by traditional world art figures (kachina, bochia, nkisi, namchi, shadow puppets, etc.) while working to push the boundaries of what a “doll” is as far as my imagination and skills will take it. ... These are not comforting toys; they can be challenging and defiant, disturbing and enchanting, irrational and frightening, beautiful and sad. They have stories they yearn to tell, and they hold secrets they will never give up. I like to think of dolls as spirit vessels and the making of a doll a kind of offering or invitation. It’s always a collaboration between me and whatever spirit comes forward."

Unfortunately, the Wordpress site that I quoted above, which features his work from 2008 to 2011, is the only site that I have been able to find so far that it directly linked to Erin. Neither his official site nor his Esty page are working, so I have no idea how to contact him to find out if he still makes the dolls or how to purchase them. Click below to see a picture gallery of some of his dolls, dolls that evoke thoughts of ghosts, zombies, mummies, and other macabre nightmares.
























Comments

  1. ♥●• İzdihër •●♥October 20, 2012 at 9:40 AM

    nice!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 9, 2020 at 7:52 PM

    literally epic but like whoever made this needs therapy (jk)

    ReplyDelete
  3. JayjayJuly 8, 2020 at 6:13 AM

    I have recently acquired quite a few pieces of his collections but am not familiar with him or his work. Any guidance on how to attain more info would greatly appreciated

    ReplyDelete

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