"Plush is suffering": one of the many running jokes in the plush community, a popular
internet role-playing and comedic subculture where users create memes using a plush
version of a character of their choice. I was Sailor Moon Plush and among the many
plush friends I made online, Rei Plush and Minako Plush were the two I cherished most.
do u kno wht sufferng is (2022) is my official farewell to the community and my
gesture of separation from this online space. My face is published in hopes that they
can find me one day in person.am
Rei Plush blew up as a meme after we left the community and can be seen all over the
internet, especially Amazon reviews for the actual plush. In these reviews,
you will see that she is physically abused which is one of the many reasons why "plush is suffering."
This idea is translated into the two other pieces 2 Plushies, 2 Punching Bags (2022)
and VENUS SUFFERING (Mirror) with stock flame video from Youtube.com (Pixelated) (2022).
The title 2 Plushies, 2 Punching Bags parodies an old internet meme and viral shock scat
video "2 girls 1 cup" It raises the question as to why Rei Plush is so punchable. She is suspended
the same way the Everlast punching bag is next to her. The sand from the punching bag is removed
from the bag and is replaced by old fabrics to give it a plush-like sensation when punched. So,
is the punching bag still fun to punch when it flies up after each punch? Probably not. So why do
people find enjoyment from punching Rei Plush? She wasn't made for this.
In VENUS SUFFERING (Mirror) with stock flame video from Youtube.com (Pixelated) Minako Plush
is attached to a wall looking at a TV of herself in the midst of pixelated flames. The video and
install slightly renders Nam June Paik's TV Buddha in a cute and laughable way. This piece specifically
aims towards self-reflection and how this suffering community is really meant for the internet and
on screen. The behavior that is examined within these communities are not commonly brought outside
of the digital space - so this is my attempt to do so by connecting the two.
This memorial is installed in a way where all the cables are exposed, but they simply exist as a
visual representation of transferring signals to create the images on screen, once again
reinforcing the idea of bringing an idea that belongs in the digital world to a physical space.
It's a memorial for my friends Rei Plush and Minako Plush and all the other wonderful plushies
I met online. To the plushies: I miss you and I hope to meet you again one day.
VENUS SUFFERING (Mirror) with stock flame video from Youtube.com (Pixelated), 2022
do u kno wht sufferng is, 2022
2 Plushies 2 Punching Bags, 2022
Installation shot
Installation shot
Installation shot