When French visual artist Prune Nourry decided to document China's "missing daughters", those never born due to gender preferences, she drew inspiration from one of the country's icons: the Terracotta Warriors.

For her installation, "Terracotta Daughters," on display at the Anahuacalli Museum in Mexico City, the artist created 108 life-sized sculptures of schoolgirls in the style of the ancient warriors.

"I feel it is important to bring light to a subject that affects us all, especially in the years to come," she said, adding that the work invites people to ponder the issue through a reinterpretation of a familiar symbol.

Official figures show that China registered a sex ratio at birth of 117.7 boys for every 100 girls in 2012, marking the fourth year of decline. The photographs were taken on Oct 30.