In Fandomania: Characters & Cosplay (Aperture, 2007), Elena Dorfman is the first photographer to examine in depth the pop culture phenomenon of “cosplay” (the merging of “costume” and “play”), in which participants dress up in costumes—and live part of their lives—as characters from video games, animated films, and Japanese graphic novels. Dorfman’s portraits of “cosplayers” put the spotlight on a subculture that is exploding internationally. Japan and the Uni... Read more
In Fandomania: Characters & Cosplay (Aperture, 2007), Elena Dorfman is the first photographer to examine in depth the pop culture phenomenon of “cosplay” (the merging of “costume” and “play”), in which participants dress up in costumes—and live part of their lives—as characters from video games, animated films, and Japanese graphic novels. Dorfman’s portraits of “cosplayers” put the spotlight on a subculture that is exploding internationally. Japan and the United States are the biggest markets of cosplay which has held over 200 conventions worldwide including the successful inaugural New York Anime Festival last December which attracted a huge crowd at the Javits Center.
Explorations of identity through portraiture are at the forefront of Dorfman’s work, with the blurred lines between fantasy and reality a continuing theme. Her work has appeared in Village Voice, International Herald Tribune, Art & Auction, and Artweek. Her previous series, Still Lovers, appeared in museum and gallery exhibitions internationally and is the subject of two monographs.
