Karolina Jonderko

Ewa's doll reminds her of her niece. The doll helps her in dealing with anxiety and stress.

There is a lot of tenderness and love between the owners and the dolls

Katarzyna with her doll and children in the play park. Most of the time when Katarzyna takes her kids out the doll comes too. People approach her to admire the newborn baby. Not being able to tell the difference once told their reactions vary – from

Katarzyna has 4 children, adopting the reborn doll after miscarriage a few years ago. Her children love the doll, they do things together, treat it as a part of the family.

Magdalena is putting her doll to the crib. Lorcia was part of the family for seven years because Magdalena could not conceive. A year ago she gave birth to a baby boy. The doll now safely stored in a cupboard is no longer needed - yet fulfilled her

Lorcia’s room. Lorcia was part of the family for seven years because Magdalena could not conceive. A year ago she gave birth to a baby boy. The doll now safely stored in a cupboard is no longer needed - yet fulfilled her therapeutic purpose

There are many reasons why women buy reborn dolls. One of them is the need to be needed and to have someone to look after. In this case the "child" is sick and needs to be taken care of. Many dolls are custom made so you can buy one with any kind of

Basia, Dominika, Magda and Emilka are going trekking. A few times a year doll lovers and collectors gather to spend time together and exchange experiences, like all new mummies do. One of them, Dominika is a teenager .Knowing she’s too young to have

Doll collectors gathering in Karpacz. Since there was only one high chair, the rest of the dolls were left on the floor which draw attention of the restaurant costumers.

When leaving the house "mums" often leave the tv on for the dolls. So they don't feel lonely.

Babies for adoption. There are hundreds of dolls you can choose from at the doll show. These events are very popular in the UK – families, couples and single people come along to look for a perfect "baby".

Reborn

Babies awaken strong emotions in adults. We look after them with care and gentleness, we love them. Surprisingly, this is the case even if they are not real.

It looks like a real baby, it even smells like one, but it’s made of vinyl. When you take on such a doll, you are given a birth certificate with the weight and height, just like a real baby. Each and every one of them is unique, carefully crafted by reborn artists, that’s why they are collected as pieces of art. Yet those dolls happen to be a powerful therapy tool. It’s proven that cuddling a baby causes a release of hormones, which produce a sense of well being. They bring comfort.

Every woman has a unique motive for having such a baby. The maternal instinct is so strong that those who can’t have, or have lost a baby, give their love to an unreal one. They look after them, change them, take them for a walk and buy clothes for them. The “babies” provide companionship, they bring calming routine, they are a little bundle of joy to love and help their “mothers” dealing with loss, depression, trauma or anxiety.

Karolina Jonderko

Karolina is an award-winning photographer with the master degree in photography from the Polish National Film, Television and Theater School in Lodz. She is based in Poland and works on verity of her projects both locally and internationally.

Most of her long-term projects are focused on the aftermath of loss. Experiencing it herself she wants to draw attention to the issues people face. Projects on this theme include "Self-portrait with my mother" "Lost", "Reborn" and "Little Poland". Her long-term projects were nationally and internationally awarded: Foto Visura Spotlight Grant, Luceo Student Award, Grand Press Photo etc. She won Magnum& Ideas Tap award and completed the internship at Magnum Photos office in NYC.

Her works where displaced at a number ofexhibitions and festivals such as Circulation(s) Festival (France), Landskorona foto (Sweden), Noorderlicht Festival (Holland) and published in the Guardian, Blow magazine, The British Journal of Photography among others.