(Contagem) In Ana Paula Guimaraes’ studio, dolls representing larger-than-life babies “sleep” in cradles, while others are seated on a sofa.
“I don’t make dolls, I turn dreams into reality,” this Brazilian woman told AFP, while holding the head of an infant to paint her lips red with a brush.
These dolls are called “babies reborn », An art which consists in making them with such precision in the smallest details that one could almost confuse them with children in flesh and blood.
This resident of Contagem, in the state of Minas Gerais, takes an average of seven days to make each creation, which sells for prices of up to 7,000 reals (approximately $ 1,600).
The customers are mainly Brazilian, but it also receives orders from France, Portugal, the United States or Australia.
The trunk is made of cloth, the head and limbs of latex and the hair of sheep’s wool, implanted “thread by thread”.
Mme Guimaraes uses different types of paints for the skin, eyelashes or nails.
On some babies, we can even make out veins or birthmarks.
“The hardest part is getting the most realistic skin tone. We have a palette of more than twenty colors. The hair implant can also be very laborious, ”she says.
Eternity and fertility
PHOTO DOUGLAS MAGNO, FRANCE-PRESS AGENCY
Ana Paula Guimaraes clients are collectors or parents who wish to “perpetuate children who have already grown up”. She also sells it to couples with fertility problems or who have had a spontaneous abortion.
Customers can choose the color of the skin, eyes, hair, and face shape, as well as the baby’s age, from newborn to two years old.
Ana Paula Guimaraes, who has always worked in the craft industry, makes “babies reborn »Since 2008. More than a thousand have already left his workshop.
“I saw a woman making it and it touched me a lot, so I decided to do the same,” she explains.
This concept, already widespread in Europe and the United States, stems from World War II, when mothers repaired their children’s broken dolls with all types of materials. Hence the term ” reborn », Which gives an idea of rebirth.
The practice then evolved, consisting of making a doll representing a baby as realistic as possible.
Its clients are collectors or parents who wish to “perpetuate children who have already grown up”. She also sells it to couples with fertility problems or who have had a spontaneous abortion.
“A lady who had been trying to have a baby for eight years ordered a doll from me. Two months later she was pregnant, ”she said.
“It may sound incredible, but her baby was born identical to the doll.”