Elisa Gierasch has a remarkable talent for revealing the hidden details that others often miss. She doesn’t just pass by; she engages with stillness, complexity, and personality that is frequently left behind. In her powerful collection, Gimlet Eyes, she shows a striking world of over 140 photographs featuring mannequins—including women, men, children, and creatures—captured in stunning detail and unexpected contexts.
These mannequins are not just props; they are vessels of nostalgia, beauty, and longing, embodying both the ideal and the artificial. They exist as lifeless figures, carefully styled to imply they once had vitality. Documented over decades in old department stores, cluttered antique shops, abandoned storefronts, and neglected corners of the world, these mannequins become portrait subjects—icons of fashion, symbols of desire, remnants of dreams, and sometimes, echoes of our past hopes.
With her expertise in theater, vintage styling, and performance, Gierasch brings the subtle front and center: the curve of a lip, the emptiness of a painted eye, a slight tilt of the head, a trace of mascara, or a broken hand. She doesn’t just capture images of mannequins; she tells their profound stories. Some mannequins are stunning; others are grotesque. Some exude playfulness, while others show deep sorrow. Yet all are vivid, unforgettable characters—frozen in time and framed through Elisa’s lens.
If you are captivated by the uncanny, the glamorous, the macabre, and the surreal—then this book demands your attention. Gimlet Eyes is essential for fans of Diane Arbus, Weegee, Cindy Sherman, and Tim Walker, as well as those who appreciate the haunting elegance of mid-century fashion photography. It's a must-have for artists, stylists, dreamers, and anyone who has ever found themselves entranced by a window display, often without knowing why. Elisa Gierasch’s mannequins may stand still, but they encompass entire worlds.