Dwindling Tribe, 2022 by Anna Novakov

Dwindling Tribe, 2022

Anna Novakov

Dwindling Tribe, 2022

Folkloric doll encased in wax and wood

4 x 6 inches

Dwindling Tribe is a meditation on the enduring yet often overlooked legacies of women's traditional crafts. The piece features a Serbian ethnic doll, handmade and steeped in the cultural history of textile work and adornment, a craft passed down through generations of women. The doll is immersed in chamomile-scented wax, which solidifies to create a translucent, ghostly figure. This waxy layer obscures yet preserves the delicate details of the doll, evoking the idea of memory—fragile but preserved, hidden in plain sight. Housed in a carved wood box, the doll becomes an artifact of both personal and collective history, confined yet cherished, its form a silent testament to the labor and skill of women’s hands. The chamomile scent, traditionally associated with healing and calm, brings a sensory layer that connects the past to the present, reminding us of the intimate, tactile nature of these creations. This work serves as a quiet homage to the often invisible labor of women and the rich, tactile language of their handiwork.