Mari Katayama’s photographic works feature herself, surrounded by things she has made or collected. Using her body as one of her materials “simply because it’s handy”, she also creates hand-sewn body doubles replicating her unique physique – her truncated legs and split left hand – decorated with lace, shells, pearls, and Swarovski crystals. Born with a rare congenital disorder that affects the shin bones (and, in her case, her hand), she chose to have her legs amputated when she was nine years old and spent a year learning to walk with artificial limbs.
