The assumption that something is unthreatening because it is small, soft, round, subordinate, is a dangerous assumption in and of itself. If we believe something is powerless, its capacity to influence us grows insidiously.
MacDonald translates the 3D vignettes she creates in virtual reality into oil paintings that personify objects and anthropomorphize animals, transforming them into complex symbols of femininity and power.
Oscillating between dominance and passivity, tenderness and cruelty, they trap their prey, bare their teeth-they bite. Forms are rendered soft and sharp at once-porcelain, jelly, and metal are indistinguishable in MacDonald's lustrous, dreamy world.
Cuteness, often an aestheticization of powerlessness, becomes a site of allure and unease.
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