Victoria Sisko

The Doll Manifesto

The Doll Manifesto examines and challenges art works of the Surrealist movement, and the impossibility of ignoring the representations of women and their relationship to the larger cultural and historical context of the era and onward. Amidst the movement's history, three primary female archetypes emerge: The Doll, the Hysteric, and the Femme-Enfant (in which I will associate the real life figure, Nadja—born Léona Camille Ghislaine Delacourt). These archetypes reveal the surrealists' complex and often contradictory attitudes towards women, challenging conventional gender roles and stereotypes all the while reinforcing them.

“My art, writing and curatorial projects can most likely be described as orbiting the intersection of art ontology and aesthetics. My thesis work, The Doll Manifesto specifically explores the complex and often contradictory attitudes towards women in the Surrealist movement. Through critique of historical fragments, art and text, I aim to challenge conventional gender roles and stereotypes, while also acknowledging the movement's problematic history. In particular, I focus on three primary female archetypes I argue emerged from the movement: The Doll, the Hysteric, and the Femme-Enfant. These archetypes reveal the objectification and idealization of women, often depicted as passive and infantilized objects of desire. The Doll Manifesto delves into the surrealists' obsession with the female body and their exploration of Freudian psychoanalytic theories and additionally highlights the work of female artists who rejected gendered themes, and explored new forms of expression. This work is a means of literary resistance against conventional societal structures and boundaries, laying a foundation for future feminist actions. Ultimately, my goal is to engage in a feminine discourse between the self and Other, utilizing the female body as a means of resistance, psychic energy, and creative force.”