Description of the attraction
The Doll House by Tatyana Kalinina is the only private gallery in Petrozavodsk. At the entrance to the museum, you will see a portrait of the author of all works, the creator of this museum, Honored Art Worker of the Republic of Karelia and a member of the Union of Artists of Russia - Tatyana Kalinina.
In Petrozavodsk, the artist's name has become almost a legend. Tatyana always had the idea to create a gallery of dolls, and in 1999 this amazing woman made her dream come true and presented the city with its inhabitants with the art gallery “Doll House”. The gallery has a special home environment. Tatiana, being an immensely kind and calm person, managed to convey these qualities of the gallery itself. As the artist herself said: "This is a family home of joy, a pharmacy for the soul."
Tatiana grew up in Ivanovo, a city that has long been known for its craftswomen, residents who value work, devotion to friends and family. When Tatiana first came to Karelia, she fell in love with this fabulous land with a unique nature, open and friendly people. With ease and grace, she created tapestries and dolls, giving each work a piece of her soul. Several years ago, the owner of the gallery passed away, which was a great loss for the city. In the gallery it seemed that the faces of the dolls were tear-stained, and the smiles were sad. The artist's eldest daughter, Maria, decided to do everything to preserve the Doll House, exactly as her mother saw it - the House of Happiness.
The dolls created by Tatyana's hands seem absolutely alive, warm, with a changeable mood and their own unique character. The world of dolls is a special world where myths, fairy tales, reality, mysticism and the author's fantasy are closely intertwined. It has its own laws, which can only be understood by believing in a fairy tale and a miracle.
The Doll House gallery is small, it consists of 3 exhibition halls and workshops. For several years of the gallery's life, dozens of exhibitions of graphics, painting, photography, sculpture, batik and tapestry have been held here. Most of the authors of the exhibition in the gallery have their first personal exhibitions in their life. The Doll House brings together all creative and like-minded people. All visitors to the gallery first enter the main hall - the hall of “living dolls” by Tatiana Kalinina.
Of particular interest in the gallery is Tatiana's exposition - "Spirits of Karelia or Kizhi brownies". Entering this hall, you find yourself in a mixture of real and unreal world, a world where there is everything: love, hate, grief, joy, loyalty and, of course, faith in goodness. Tatyana Kalinina conveyed this entire palette of feelings to her dolls. In the exhibition hall, various mythical heroes feel like full-fledged owners: brownies, water, kikimors and other "evil spirits". It is believed that the spirit of the person depends on whether the spirit is good or evil. If you are overwhelmed with negative emotions, then the spirit will seem evil and scary to you, and if you are a kind and cheerful person, then the spirit will be sweet and welcoming.
Walking through the exposition, you will meet a mermaid with big and sad eyes, she will remind you of Andersen's Mermaid, but Tatyana's little mermaid has two thin legs instead of a tail. Everyone for himself will be able to come up with his own story of this sad girl, how she became like this and why she is no longer destined to go on land. Not far from the little mermaid, you will meet a brownie with long arms, huge ears and a nose. Next to him is a gallant sailor, of course, with a cap - this is Sudovoy, the spirit of the ship. This spirit is the patron saint and protector of sailors. Another resident of the water company is Kikimora swamp. Tatyana, she is presented as a pretty and perky girl in bright outfits, in beads and flowers.
Home spirits are located next to a cozy stove, and the main one here, of course, is Brownie. This spirit, known to everyone, sits on a wooden bench right in the center. Proudly and attentively, he examines everyone entering the exhibition hall. Many visitors placate the Brownie and leave him some sweets or a few coins - for good luck. Not far from the Brownie sits the spirit of Gnetka - the keeper of generic information. He knows the history and fate of all family members. According to legend, this spirit exists in the form of a shaggy dog and lives exclusively under the bed of the owner of the house. By nature, Gnetka is ugly and the author decided to put on a knitted mask so as not to show us his terrible face. The Spirit of the Yard looks like a grandmother with a stern, wrinkled face. This spirit is considered the patron saint of pets, two nimble rats help her in all matters, who know everything about everyone and tell the hostess.
Also in the exposition you can see the Rigachnik - a huge uncle with strong shoulders and a shaggy beard, Ambarnik - a small and sad man, the keeper of the barn. There was also a place in the company for the northern Shamanka. This is a person who knows how to communicate with spirits and heal various diseases with their help, he also knows how to control the elements of nature. And it was with this doll that the "Spirits of Karelia or Kizhi brownies" exposition began to emerge.
All Tatyana Kalinina's dolls literally radiate warmth, giving them to people and affecting them emotionally. They even say that dolls are able to heal from diseases, harmonizing the inner world of a person, healing the soul and body.
