SOFT BOUND | MACK

***Plush Euphoria***, 2024
Acrylic on framed canvas board, 9 x 11 inches, $400
Image Description: A painting of a plushie bunny in soft lavendar tones, gentle purple eyes closed, ears back, and little mouth partially covered by front paws open in a pink “o”. They have their front paws bound tightly in hot pink rope that pulls them up from the upper left corner. They are wearing a light blue vest and take up most of the canvas. A cheerful yellow background contrasts with a bold black frame. The effect is softly edgy, cute, gentle, and draws you in with curiosity.

I often express my thoughts and identities using the visuals of objects, particularly toys and plushies. Plushies often invoke feelings of security, comfort, softness, care, and play, especially when viewed through a lens of animacy. From their aesthetics alone we can project and play with personality, gender, the body, and other identities. Our relationship with the care of these objects is an extension of care for ourselves, as well as respect and care for the invisible connection to all of those who impressed upon and formed said object.

My identities and life experiences often have me dehumanized and so at the core of my practice is the reclaiming of aesthetics of non-humanness and power dynamics. This piece is an expression of the euphoria of being understood within these identities and I hope to spread that to others who explore, connect, and feel validated within my work.

Soft Bound (they/it) is a queer and disabled multimedia visual artist who focuses on themes and aesthetics of play, softness, animacy, pressure, identity, euphoria, and power dynamics.