Do Women Dream of Synthetic Kids? by Martina Cirese (2017-2019) investigates how Reborn dolls are collected across Europe, using the images to question ideas of surrogate love. Cirese uses her background in contemporary history to connect the work to European conversations about reproductive autonomy and the commodification of intimacy.
The series asks what counts as human connection when attachment is directed toward synthetic bodies. It addresses grief, desire, and chosen kinship, and reflects on how market logics transform solace into a commodity. At its core, the project asks “What is human?”—a question that runs through Cirese’s meetings with collectors. Freud’s idea of the uncanny—when something feels both familiar and strange—and Masahiro Mori’s “uncanny valley”—the discomfort caused by objects that look almost human but are not—help explain why these dolls unsettle recognition.
Visually, Cirese creates tightly framed photographs of Reborn dolls encased in transparent plastic, presenting them as if suspended in artificial wombs. Their curled bodies, pressed against the wrapping, evoke both fetal positions and manufactured fragility. The mood is unsettling yet contemplative, shaped by stark lighting and minimal backgrounds that focus attention on the resemblance of synthetic infants to human newborns.
The project’s exposure includes exhibitions in the UK, Italy, and Germany, and features in cultural magazines. It resonates with surreal explorations found in Hans Bellmer’s The Doll—a study of fragmented identity—and The Games of the Doll, which combines staged photography, collage, and hand-coloring to probe desire.
