num_pages: 126
description: In Still Lovers, Elena Dorfman explores the complex relationships between life-sized, synthetic sex dolls and their owners. For many, the idea of the sex doll conjures images of the kitschy inflatable, but these expensive, highly realistic dolls, which owners customize to the smallest detail, are far from silly, and they' perform more than a sexual role for their owners. What started for Dorfman in 1999 as a playful curiosity - a project about "men having sex with 125 pounds of perfectly formed synthetic female" - rapidly became a serious exploration of the emotional and psychological ties between the owners and their dolls. Her candid wonderment and nonjudgmental approach present a fascinating glimpse into the personalities that owners invest in their dolls and the zest with which they attire them. The dolls become sculptural beauties, sex kittens, companions, and family members. One woman owns several dolls that represent different aspects of her personality and sexuality; another owner, a military officer, dreams of marrying his "Azra." A suburban owner drinks coffee on the couch as "Taffy" lounges nearby in her crotchless negligee. A family goes about their morning routine with "Valentine" at the kitchen table. Dorfman's deft treatment of the subject and neutral color palate keep the images firmly grounded in a documentary tradition that depicts the subjects outside of the visual schema associated with fantasy. The result is that we as viewers - though we know the dolls to be passive and inanimate - begin to believe in the owners' vision of and love for their dolls. Dorfman's images confront the concept of the ideal woman and her place in the home, and they challenge our notions of love while they show the imagination's powerful function in achieving and sustaining it.
language: English
title: Still Lovers
titlecomplete: Still Lovers
genres: Photography
ratings_count: 7
publisher: Channel Photographics