Written by Dennis Spafford

On the very last block of Broadway in Brooklyn, by the water, The Dollhaus Gallery is where dolls cast off the fetterdom of cuteness and become creatures wrapped in shadow. Miwa Yagi has joined this liberation by introducing us to Dolla.

Miwa Yagi's exhibition opened at The Dollhaus on October 16. Having been to The Dollhaus before, I knew that this was something not to be missed (and I was not let down). It was a packed house, and apparently everyone else was just as excited as I to see the latest exhibit at The Dollhaus. The crowd was a mixture of goth / club / glam, and we all mixed and mingled amongst Yagi’s art and in-between the lyrics of a 1940’s spoken word record being played.

Yagi’s art is a mixture of fantasy, self-perception, and darkness. I spoke with Miwa Yagi and I asked her what or who was Dolla? Miwa explained to me that two years ago she had been in a coma for a week and that she had the most amazing dreams while in that coma and that is where a lot of her material comes from. She says that Dolla is what she pictures herself as Dead, and the paintings and sculptures are meant to share with us what she saw while she was in a coma, as well as the jewels of inspiration that imagination has shared with her.

The painting titled “Nature calls Dolla”, is one of the more telling paintings in the exhibition, and made me think about Yagi and her experiences. The painting is of Dolla in an autumnal forest at dusk, who is sitting on a toilet reading a book. Colored leaves float around her while little faceless Beings whisper and watch. When I first looked at this picture I thought it was Yagi’s intention to shock us with a picture of someone on a toilet. However after thinking about the scene, it became obvious to me that there was more here than met the eye. Since Dolla represents Yagi, perhaps the image of her sitting on a toilet symbolizes Yagi’s vulnerability as an artist under the scrutiny of the viewer. I think that this image represent some kind of psychological excrement, getting it out of the subconscious and materializing it. The way Dolla reaches for the toilet paper may reinforce this interpretation, in that toilet paper is used to wipe clean after one “goes”, maybe Yagi is telling us that she needs to express this image and that in doing so she is “cleaning” her subconscious.

Also note that this scene is done in an autumnal forest. The use of a forest in art is meant to represent our subconscious mind, and the fact that it is autumn reminds me of what Yagi told me about her coma. The simple use of color and imagery of the forest express to me her fascination with that time between life and death, sort of standing on the edge of it and looking.

This painting is very personal and intimate, and I am in awe of Yagi’s ability to share with us her most private thoughts and feelings. There were also many other wonderful pieces at the show, and if you are in Brooklyn before November 16th, I highly recommend that you check out this exhibit.

The Dollhaus Gallery | 37 Broadway | Williamsburg, NY.
www.dollhaus.org