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Abigail Goldman
Upon first approach, Abigail Goldman’s carefully crafted dioramas look like something you would see in a history museum or hobbyist display with their neatly manicured green lawns and orderly arranged buildings complete with tiny people, tiny cars and other bespoke props. However, closer inspection reveals absurd mise-en-scenes of grotesque horror and often humourous violence with the viewer left to construct their own narrative in an attempt fill in the blanks. These ‘Dieoramas’ as they are aptly named are the product of Goldman’s life-long fascination with crime and the dark side of the human psyche.
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Upon first approach, Abigail Goldman’s carefully crafted dioramas look like something you would see in a history museum or hobbyist display with their neatly manicured green lawns and orderly arranged buildings complete with tiny people, tiny cars and other bespoke props. However, closer inspection reveals absurd mise-en-scenes of grotesque horror and often humourous violence with the viewer left to construct their own narrative in an attempt fill in the blanks. These ‘Dieoramas’ as they are aptly named are the product of Goldman’s life-long fascination with crime and the dark side of the human psyche.
Beginning her career as a newspaper crime reporter and then investigator for the Federal Public Defender in Las Vegas, USA, Goldman now works as an investigator for the Public Defender in Bellingham, Washington. Goldman initially began crafting her imaginary crime scenes in 2011 as a hobby and also as a way of decompressing and detaching from her day job. However, it didn’t take long before her miniatures went viral on Reddit, with photos of her work quickly amassing hundreds of comments and tens of thousands (now, millions) of views. Almost overnight, her work began selling out in art galleries and she had a waiting list for her work.
Rendered in a scale of 1:87, Goldman’s Dieoramas range between 4 inches and 4 feet long, with her human figures smaller than an inch tall. Using elements from train model kits, craft and hardware stores, found materials, and real dirt from Las Vegas, Goldman constructs these miniature scenes with tweezers and a magnifying glass. After adding her trademark dash of red acrylic paint in lieu of blood, she seals them with a perspex case.
Despite her professional involvement in the criminal justice system, Goldman never portrays real life cases, instead opting for a ‘fantasy’ or fictional version of the realities that lie beneath the pristine facades of American suburban life. Implicit in these scenes is a strange relationship between the mundane and the sensational, where everyday domestic scenes such as sunbathing, picnics and children’s birthday parties are contrasted with gruesome violence, blood splattered surfaces and battered victims. Goldman portrays an unendingly inventive repertoire of grotesque acts of violence from lawnmowers riding over figures to barrels with dismembered bodies, limbs sticking out of car trunks, bodies skewered by stakes to victims of axes, saws and guns. As a viewer, there is uncomfortable tension between attraction and repulsion or what is known as the ‘car crash’ effect, where despite their better self one takes an almost perverse fascination with carnage in front of them.
There is also an element of humour or comic relief in these scenes which helps to offset the violence. In the tradition of tragicomedy, Goldman says ‘‘ I think when people see that monster lurking inside of them, modelled and then put in a box and contained, I think that tension is what causes people to laugh’. A kind of emotional catharsis also occurs with the viewer when they witness the painstaking care and consideration of the dioramas’ construction violated with these messy and emotionally wanton acts.
Goldman’s Dieoramas also present a sobering commentary on the pervasive violence in our world and highlight how through media and entertainment we have quickly become desensitised to it. In Goldman’s words, grotesque violence has become America’s ‘number one cultural export’. Refraining from a didactic or admonishing approach, Goldman simply shows that violence is indiscriminate in its effects and in some ways is perhaps an extreme manifestation of familiar emotions that we all deal with, such as anxiety, anger and fear. As a viewer, there is a closeness and intimacy involved with looking in on a miniature world, ‘up close and personal’ so to speak. It allows us the opportunity to view the violent tendencies of our species in a ‘contained’ manner, like observers of our own world or outsiders looking in.
Goldman’s work has been exhibited internationally and featured in multiple print publications, including NPR, Juxtapoz, Atlas Obscura, the L.A. Times and the Huffington Post among others. She has also been the subject of an award-winning documentary for Topic magazine.
Photo of Abigail Goldman with a dieorama.
Goldman had a solo exhibition, Everyday Animals, at Beinart Gallery in 2020, and has contributed to group shows, Miniature Art in 2020 and Dark Art 2021.
Please contact us if you would like to buy an original sculpture by Abigail Goldman or to be notified when we have new available art for sale.
Original Art
- Brian Mashburn - 'Blue Budgie' - oil on basswood
- Brian Mashburn - 'Ficus with Cat' - oil on panel
- Brian Mashburn - 'Monkey Tree' - oil on canvas
- Brian Mashburn - 'Canis Lupus' - oil on panel
- Brian Mashburn - "Somniferum" - oil on panel
- Brian Mashburn - "Jeep Cherokee" - oil on canvas
- Aof Smith - 'Juggling With Life' - oil on linen
- Aof Smith - 'Sonic Stillness' - oil on linen
- Aof Smith - 'Lurking in the Groove' - oil on linen
- Aof Smith - 'Spotted' - oil on linen
- Aof Smith - 'Among Others' - oil on linen
- Aof Smith - 'The Implement' - oil on linen
- Aof Smith - 'The Furry Within' - oil on linen
- Aof Smith - 'Thorns of Judgement' - oil on linen
- Aof Smith - 'Vigilant Sheild' - oil on canvas
- Aof Smith - 'Eyes On' - oil on linen
- Aof Smith - 'Firmed Furry' - oil on canvas
- Aof Smith - 'Thorns of Judgement (sketch)' - pencil on paper
- Zarina Situmorang - "Choice #2" - oil on canvas
- Zarina Situmorang - 'It Takes Two' - oil on canvas
- Zarina Situmorang - "Peony" - oil on canvas
- Zarina Situmorang - "Sharing" - oil on canvas
- Zarina Situmorang - "Support" - oil on canvas
- Kazuhiro Hori - "Reflection" - acrylic on canvas
- Kazuhiro Hori - 'Strawberry' - acrylic on canvas
- Kazuhiro Hori - 'Imitation' - acrylic on canvas
- Kazuhiro Hori - 'Rumor' - acrylic on canvas
- Kazuhiro Hori - 'Artificial Life' - acrylic on canvas
- Kazuhiro Hori - 'Whisper' - acrylic on canvas
- Kazuhiro Hori - 'Mirror, Mirror' - acrylic on canvas
- Tokyo Jesus - 'Catacomb Box (four)' - resin, acrylic, lacquer and enamel paint, epoxy putty and extruded polystyrene in traditional Japanese Kiri wood box
- Julia A. Rich - 'The Puzzle' - acrylic on triangle canvas
- Tokyo Jesus - 'Survivor' - resin, acrylic, lacquer and enamel paint, vintage kimono, epoxy putty, glass eyes, synthetic hair, bells and paper
- Julia A. Rich - 'The Harvest' - acrylic on canvas
- Julia A. Rich - "Sisters Not Twins - THE ANG3L" - acrylic on canvas
- Julia A. Rich - "Sisters Not Twins - THE D3VIL" - acrylic on canvas
- Julia A. Rich - 'Idol I' - acrylic on canvas
- Adrian Borda - "The Silver Coil" - oil on board
- Adrian Borda - "Beyond The Pleasure Principle" - oil on canvas
- Ed Binkley - "Goblin Incognito, New Haircut" - coloured pencil and white charcoal on toned paper
- Ed Binkley - "Goblin Incognito, Whiskers" - colored pencil and white charcoal on toned paper
- Ed Binkley - "Sorcerer" - coloured pencil and white charcoal on toned paper
- Ed Binkley - "Vicar, Bad Hair-Day" - colored pencil and white charcoal on toned paper
- Ed Binkley - "Prophecy Veil"- colored pencil and white charcoal on toned paper
- Ed Binkley - "Werewolf Incognito, Formal Attire" - colored pencil and white charcoal on toned paper
- John Walker - "Boney Bunny From the Heart" - acrylic on panel
- John Walker - "Midnight Musicologists" - acrylic on panel
- John Walker - "Odd Travelers - A Question of Balance" - acrylic on panel
- John Walker - "Hearts Desires" - acrylic on panel
- John Walker - "Gwendolyn and the Very Special Tea" - acrylic on panel
- John Walker - "Tall Tales Told" - acrylic on panel
- John Walker - "The Sorcerer's Hat" - acrylic on panel
- John Walker - "The Squonk Hunter" - acrylic on panel
- Alessandro Boezio - "Chaos 2" - white ceramic glazed
- Alex Kuno - "Peace and Quiet" - watercolour on paper and panel, sealed in wax.
- Alex Kuno - "Wait It Out" - oil and graphite on paper mounted on arched panel
- Sam Yong - "Mother" - oil on wood panel
- Sam Yong - "Burial" - oil on wood panel
- Alexia Novella - 'Alfred' - oil on panel
- Alexia Novella - "Unnatural" - oil on panel
- Andrew Hopgood - "The Bear" - oil on linen
- Andrew Hopgood - 'Arctic Circle' - oil on linen
- Christophe Gilland - "Boletus Edulis with Blue Ringed Octopus" - polymer clay, wood, acrylics, resin and glass dome
- Christophe Gilland - "Veiled Stinkhorn" - polymer clay, wood, acrylics, resin and glass dome
- Luke Chueh - "Target (Hoodie)" - acrylic on canvas
- Luke Chueh - "Shock and Awe" - acrylic on canvas
- Luke Chueh - "That’s a Knife!" - acrylic on canvas
- Luke Chueh - "Yearning to Fly" - acrylic on board
- Luke Chueh - "Angry Bird" - acrylic on canvas
- Luke Chueh - "In the Dark (Live Painting)" - acrylic on canvas
- Luke Chueh - "Self Consumed" - acrylic on canvas
- Larysa Bernhardt - "Soft Resurrection" - textiles, hand embroidery, appliqué, beading, vintage brass frame, and mixed media
- Larysa Bernhardt - "Innocence" - textiles, hand embroidery, appliqué, beading, vintage brass frame, and mixed media
- Larysa Bernhardt - "Eclipse" - textiles, hand embroidery, appliqué, beading, vintage brass frame, and mixed media
- Edith Lebeau - "I'm Trying My Best" - acrylic on panel
- Allison Reimold - "Daydream in the Garden" - oil on board
- Ronit Baranga - "The Intimate Series (2023) #1" - clay, glaze, acrylic paint, lacquer
- Ronit Baranga - "The Intimate Series (2023) #4" - clay, glaze, acrylic paint, lacquer
- Ronit Baranga - "The Intimate Series (2023) #5" - clay, glaze, acrylic paint, lacquer
- Ronit Baranga - "The Intimate Series (2023) #6" - clay, glaze, acrylic paint, lacquer
- Ronit Baranga - "The Intimate Series (2023) #7" - clay, glaze, acrylic paint, lacquer
- Ronit Baranga - "The Intimate Series (2023) #8" - clay, glaze, acrylic paint, lacquer
- Ronit Baranga - "Embraced in Frame #1" - clay, glaze, acrylic paint, lacquer, wooden frame
- Ronit Baranga - "Embraced in Frame #2" - clay, glaze, acrylic paint, lacquer, wooden frame
- Ronit Baranga - "Embraced in Frame #3" - clay, glaze, acrylic paint, lacquer, wooden frame
- Ronit Baranga - "Embraced in Frame #4" - clay, glaze, acrylic paint, lacquer, wooden frame
- Emma Black - 'The Time Before' - oil on board
- Emma Black - "Eulogy" - oil on cradled wood
- Emma Black - 'What Have You Become' - oil on cradled wood panel
- Emma Black - "This Won't End" - oil on board
- Emma Black - 'A Night Like This' - oil on board
- Emma Black - "Chrysalis" - polymer clay and oil paint on vinyl Toddlerpillar
- Richard Ahnert - "Free Stride" - oil on canvas
- Richard Ahnert - "Long Story Short" - oil on canvas
- Andrew Cadima - "Placitum" - oil on panel
- Andrew Cadima - "All of Us" - oil on panel
- Andrew Cadima - "An Endless Well" - oil on panel
- Andrew Cadima - "And It Came for Everything" - oil on panel
- Andrew Cadima - "And No One Survived" - oil on panel
- Andrew Cadima - "Miracle" - oil on panel
- Andrew Cadima - "The Night We Were Judged" - oil on panel
- Erik Sherman - "Perihelion" - oil on panel
- Erik Sherman - "Aurora" - oil on canvas
- Rachel Favelle - 'Where There is Smoke #2' - acrylic on cradled birch panel
- Laura Maree Dominic - 'Treading Water' - acrylic on panel
- Laura Maree Dominic - 'An Invitation From the Queen of the Night' - acrylic polymer on wood panel
- Adrian Dominic - 'Capacitor Failure' - oil on cradled birch
- Adrian Dominic - 'Wartooth' - oil on mounted birch panel
- Brian Despain - 'Dreams' - oil on wood panel
- Shaun Tan - Royal Commission (2018) - coloured pencil and ballpoint pen on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Just Do What They Tell You" - pastel and charcoal on paper
- Shaun Tan - 'The Forgotten Lesson' - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Foundling" - pastel and charcoal on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Orca" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "A Day in the Life" - coloured pencil and pen on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Bluebell" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Crow Train" (2017) - pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Enemies (after Goya)" - pastel and charcoal on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Factory Workers" - acrylic, oil and paper collage on canvas
- Shaun Tan - 'Love' - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Head: Nocturne" (2012) - oil on board
- Shaun Tan - "Head: Tomb" (2016) - pastel on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Jacaranda" - acrylic, oil and paper collage on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Lungfish" - plaster, acrylic and wax - limited edition of 20.
- Shaun Tan - "On My Way to Paradise" - acrylic and oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Preparations" - pastel on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Tea Ceremony" - pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Amorous Dial Duck" - pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - "The Farm" - pen, pencil, acrylic and collage on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Soothsayer" - pen and coloured pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Terminal" - acrylic and oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "The Harpy" - pastel on paper
- Shaun Tan - "The Rules of Summer (pencil study)" - pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Whisper (Shadowlands)" - pastel and coloured pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Never Eat the Last Olive at a Party (pencil study)" - pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Never Ask For a Reason (pencil study)" - pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - "The Last Day of Summer (colour study)" - pastel and coloured pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Always Bring Boltcutters" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Whisper" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Never Eat the Last Olive at a Party" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Never Leave the Backdoor Open Overnight" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Never Step on a Snail" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Never Argue with an Umpire" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Never Forget the Password" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Never Ask For A Reason" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Never Lose a Fight" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Crow Train: White" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Crow Train: Grey" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Crow Train: Black" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "Kayak" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "The Kingdom" - acrylic, oil and paper collage on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "The Quiet Town" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "The River of Time" - graphite pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - "The Shark" - oil on canvas
- Shaun Tan - "The White Road" - charcoal and pastel on paper
- Shaun Tan - "The World Without Us" - charcoal and pastel on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Theoretical Physicist" - pencil and coloured pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - "True Self" - charcoal and pastel on paper
- Shaun Tan - "Underworld" - charcoal and pastel on paper
- Shaun Tan - Lost Thing film TV ad - Troublesome artifacts of unknown origin (2009) - pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - Lost Thing film TV ad - Unclaimed property (2009) - pencil on paper
- Shaun Tan - Lost Thing film TV ad - We’ve got a pigeonhole to stick it in (2009) - pencil on paper
- Rhys Knight - 'Agnus Dei' - charcoal on Stonehenge paper
- Rhys Knight - 'Ascension' - charcoal on Stonehenge paper
- Rhys Knight - 'Futile Worship' - charcoal on Stonehenge paper
- Rhys Knight - 'To Decay' - charcoal on Stonehenge paper
- Rhys Knight - 'Bygone Relics' - charcoal on Stonehenge paper
- Audrey Benjaminsen - 'Muse Blade' - coloured pencil, acrylic gouache and oil on 280 gsm paper
- Audrey Benjaminsen - 'Eternal Love' - coloured pencil, acrylic gouache and oil on 280 gsm paper
- Audrey Benjaminsen - 'Whispering Field Fae' - graphite on 280 gsm paper
- Audrey Benjaminsen - 'Garden Pod Fae' - graphite on 280 gsm paper
- Audrey Benjaminsen - 'Amphibious Fae' - graphite on 280 gsm paper
- Audrey Benjaminsen - 'Woodland Root Fae' - graphite on 280 gsm paper
- Audrey Benjaminsen - 'Spiny Nettle Fae' - graphite on 280 gsm paper
- David Zhou - 'Origin·Sheng - Bloom Python' - resin with acrylic paint, porcelain bowl & bamboo box
- Olga Vyshnyvetska - 'Tadhg Antlerweft' - polymer clay, acrylic paint, threads and beads
- Olga Vyshnyvetska - 'Marlo' - resin, polymer clay and acrylic paint
- Olga Vyshnyvetska - 'Gil-Asar' - polymer clay, acrylic paint, threads and beads
- Olga Vyshnyvetska - 'Llwynsy' - polymer clay, air-dry clay, acrylics and wire
- Gabriela Rhinier - 'Overgrowth' - watercolour and acrylic paint on paper
- Kirk Roda - 'The Bowl' - Walnut shells, epoxy clay, polymer clay and gold leaf
- Mono Cieza - 'The Immature Royal Apples 3' - porcelain, bronze, fabric cushion
- Mono Cieza - 'The Immature Royal Apples 2' - porcelain, bronze, fabric cushion
- Mono Cieza - 'The Immature Royal Apples 1' - porcelain, bronze, fabric cushion
- Ana Luna - 'Ghost Things' - acrylic on canvas
- Ana Luna - 'Weird Fishes' - acrylic on canvas
- Ana Luna - 'Falling Eye' - acrylic on canvas
- Callan Morgan - 'Latrodectus' - stainless steel sculpture
- Brad Gunn - 'Vanity Fairgame' - resin, synthetic fibres - limited edition of 30
- Brad Gunn - 'Flight of Fancy' - resin and synthetic fibres on oak/brass base
- Brad Gunn - "Flopsy (emerald)" - resin, synthetic fibres
- Brad Gunn - "Flopsy Centrefold (emerald)" - resin, synthetic fibres
- Brad Gunn - "Flopsy Hang (Sunset)" - resin, synthetic fibres
- Brad Gunn - "Flopsy Large (eggplant)" - resin, synthetic fibres
- Brad Gunn - "Flopsy (sunset)" - resin, synthetic fibres
- Brad Gunn - "Voog (Emerald)" - gypsum polymer, synthetic fibres & resin
- Brad Gunn - "The Lush (Wine)" - resin, synthetic fibres, acrylic paint
- Brad Gunn - "Stigmartyr" - resin, synthetic fibers & paint
- Brad Gunn - "Mope-head (teal)" - Resin & synthetic fibres with light fitting
- Brad Gunn - "Kiss Me I'm Lonely (blue/red)" - Resin, synthetic fibres on timber backing
- Selene Mauri Cochrane - "Crowbebeh" - ceramics, fabrics, wire, thread, handmade chainstitched lace, buttons & vinyl Toddlerpillar
- Selene Mauri Cochrane - "Green With Envy" - Various fabrics, threads, wire, wading, ceramics, ceramic base, glass cloche, pins
- Selene Mauri Cochrane - "Intestines" - Various fabrics, wading, ceramics, thread, wire, handmade chainstitched lace and wool felt backing
- Selene Mauri Cochrane - 'The Collectoress' - ceramic, various fabrics, various threads, wire, dowel, polystyrene, hand made chain-stitched lace and wool felt.
- Selene Mauri Cochrane - 'Snake Eyes - Gunmetal and Rust' - ceramic, various threads, various fabric, wire, hand-made chain-stitched lace, wading with felt backing
- Selene Mauri Cochrane - 'Deer Royale - ceramic, various fabrics, various threads, wire, hand made chain-stitched lace with wool felt backing.
- Selene Mauri Cochrane - 'Deer - Champagne and Royal Purple' - ceramic, various fabrics, various threads, wire, hand made chain-stitched lace with wool felt backing
- Selene Mauri Cochrane - 'Witch Queen' - ceramic, various fabrics and threads, wool felt
- Selene Mauri Cochrane - 'Wallflower: Breast' - handmade chain-stitched lace, wire, cotton wading, various fabrics and threads, ceramic and wool felt backing
- Dan Lydersen - "I Was Born and I Was Dead" - oil on round cradled wood panel
- Dave Lebow - "The Request" - oil on linen board
- Dos Diablos - "The Savage Child" - oil on aluminum
- Dos Diablos - "Demon With A Golden Fork" - oil on aluminum
- Dos Diablos - "The Conjure for the Resurrected" - oil on aluminum
- Dos Diablos - "The Conqueror (Jaibo)" - oil on aluminum
- Dos Diablos - "Disolución" - oil on canvas
- Dusty Ray - "Offering" - oils on cradled birch panel
- El Gato Chimney - Untitled 02A - watercolour and gouache on paper
- Jai Raphael - "Chrysalis" - oil on canvas
- Jai Raphael - 'Oraculum' - oil on canvas
- Jai Raphael - "Seed" - oil on canvas
- Jai Raphael - 'Orb' - oil on canvas
- James Bonnici - 'Poke' - oil on birch panel
- James Bonnici - 'Cyclops' - oil on birch panel
- James Bonnici - "Composition in Green and Yellow" - oil on linen
- Xue Wang - "Forget Me Not" - oil on board
- Tracie MacVean - 'Amanita Dreaming' - oil on aluminium panel
- Hirabayashi Takahiro - "Source of the World" - oil on panel
- Thomas A. Gieseke - "In and Of Itself" - acrylic on panel
- Jason Briggs - "Picasso" - porcelain
- Jason Briggs - "Tera" - porcelain and steel
- Dan Seagrave - "Atrophy-Harvest" - acrylic on clayboard
- Dan Seagrave - "Carbonised Karma" - acrylic on clayboard
- Jason Stewart - "Untitled" - graphite on paper
- Liz Gridley - 'How Do We Change Death Ritual Now to Enable Death Rituals in Future?' - oil on aluminium with metal lace frame
- Liz Gridley - 'Have You Discussed Your End of Life Plans With Family and Friends?' - oil on aluminium
- Liz Gridley - 'How Do We Make Death Ritual Sustainable?' - oil on aluminium
- Liz Gridley - 'Do You Fear Decomposition?' - oil on aluminium with metal lace frame
- Liz Gridley - 'What Do We Learn From Death?' - oil on aluminium
- Liz Gridley - 'Where would you like to be when you die?' - oil on aluminium
- Liz Gridley - 'Is Cremation Right for You?' - oil on aluminium
- John M. Lally - "Night Pangs" - oil on board
- John M. Lally - "Slumber" - oil on ACM
- Kim Evans - 'Insomnium - Specimen B' - acrylic on cradled panel
- Kim Evans - "Moon Tales" - acrylic on cradled panel
- Kim Evans - "Mother Tongue - Dialogue" - acrylic on cradled panel
- Kim Evans - "Mother Tongue I" - acrylic on cradled panel
- Kim Evans - "Mother Tongue II" - acrylic on cradled panel
- Kim Evans - 'Lumanimal' - acrylic on cradled panel
- Kim Evans - "No Words" - acrylic on cradled panel