Soft Animal
![](https://commons.mtholyoke.edu/oliviabrandwein/wp-content/uploads/sites/720/2021/12/Brandwein_SoftAnimal-1024x841.jpg)
Soft Animal considers appropriation on the internet and the way the internet blends “high” and “low” art. The print references minion memes through its combination of text and image, but rather than being reproduced haphazardly by Facebook moms, it is painstakingly editioned through the slow process of intaglio printing. The text is a Mary Oliver quote which has been over-quoted by artsy teenage girls on other social media platforms. Taken together, the print returns a level of sincerity to minion memes and makes the viewer wonder if the minion is the soft animal, or if they are.
Joy
![](https://commons.mtholyoke.edu/oliviabrandwein/wp-content/uploads/sites/720/2021/12/Brandwein_Joy-711x1024.jpg)
Joy meditates on smiley faces and the power of simple shapes to elicit emotion. Arranged differently, two circles and a semicircle are nearly meaningless, but when put into a specific formation, they are instantly recognizable, and somehow cute. The use of primary colors reflects this thinking on the elemental building blocks of symbols.