VALLEY OF THE DOLLS

After suffering a late-term miscarriage, Polish mother of four Katarzyna fell into a state of grief that felt insurmountable. Looking for ways to deal with the loss, she turned to the internet, and in the process came across a subculture that would change her life: women who create and collect hyper-realistic baby dolls. Known as reborn dolls, they are meticulously crafted by artists around the world and have realistic features that include pores, veins and tears – some even replicate the sound of a beating heart.

“Although she had four other children and of course loves them, she had this emptiness inside,” recalls Karolina Jonderko, a photographer whose project focuses on the powerful emotional response the dolls can offer women. While most of the people who own the dolls are collectors, they can also provide a therapeutic benefit for women who have lost children or are unable to have them, or who suffer from depression. For Katarzyna, the doll has become her fifth child and goes everywhere with the family, including the park, the supermarket and away on