Margarita Cabrera is an artist whose work I was familiar with despite me not remember her name. That is, until now. It was a pleasant surprise to see her soft sculptures once again. The materiality of her work is simplistic, but has a very powerful message stitched on it's surface. In connection to Cabrera's social commentary on the labor production, I could not stop thinking how much her sculptures reminded me of a child's toy. The soft sugary pink hues of the sewing machine (left) quickly identify this as a young girl's toy.
Not limited to a sewing machine, Cabrera's sculptures also explore other domestic appliances. The sunbeam glow of her yellow coffee maker (right), which I found when researching the artist's work further, immediately confirmed my thoughts that these sculptures could also be toys. I was taken back to my sister's Easy Bake Oven (bottom right), that she received as a gift from a family member. The color of Cabrera's sculpture suddenly became a cautious yellow, warning it's viewer. Although seemingly harmless, these toys perpetuate gendered norms for young girls, luckily it turns out my sister is not a very great cook after all.
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