Reen Barrera’s Expressive ‘Ohlala’ Characters Evoke Emotions and Empowerment

Sporting colorful garments and richly patterned faces, Reen Barrera’s doll sculptures (previously) evoke an expressive, make-believe world. Often dressed in striped tops and hand-stitched hoods with animalistic ears, his imaginative Ohlala characters represent the universality of human emotions while emphasizing every individual’s unique qualities.

Barrera creates the sculptures from wood and patchwork textiles, and he also makes paintings depicting Ohlala figures in pensive moments or expressing a sense of empowerment. Find his work at Art Central Hong Kong in March, and see more on his website and Instagram.

a painting of a doll-like figure making a power fist and looking empowered, wearing a striped top and sporting a colorful pattern on their face

three dolls with different clothing and colorful patterns painted on their faces

a vertical painting of two doll-like figures with colorful patterns on their faces

a painting of a doll-like figure with a yellow hat and blue ears, with a colorfully patterned face, looking off to their right

a doll in a gray uniform with a black hat and a colorful pattern painted on its face

a painting of a doll-like figure seated on the ground with their arms around their knees, wearing a green hood with a colorful pattern on their face

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