Embroidered Movie Quotes of Desperation by Mackenzie Boetes

"Yeah, but I get REALLY lonely. I mean, look at me, c'mon!" - Cable Guy (2010) © Mackenzie Boetes
"Yeah, but I get REALLY lonely..." - Cable Guy (2010) © Mackenzie Boetes

Mackenzie Boetes embellishes everyday objects like pillow cases with embroidered quotes from movies. Her work points to “the complicated intersections between our hopes and desires, the choices we make and their consequences, and the resistance and/or acceptance of the limits of reality”.

"I don't want realism. I want magic!" - A Streetcar Named Desire (2012) © Mackenzie Boetes
"I don't want realism..." - A Streetcar Named Desire (2012) © Mackenzie Boetes

Viewing her works together, you definitely get a sense of those themes. Boetes doesn’t choose her film sources for their legacies (see The Cable Guy), but rather for those moments of almost casual desperation. There is a recurring thread of not knowing what we want or who we are throughout the pieces that seems more relevant than ever.

"Oh, God, I don't even know what I want." - Hannah and Her Sisters (2012) © Mackenzie Boetes
"Oh, God, I don't even know..." - Hannah and Her Sisters (2012) © Mackenzie Boetes

Click through for a few more embroidered works by Mackenzie Boetes, including a quote from the band, Bauhaus!

"All we ever wanted was EVERYTHING" - Bauhaus (2012) © Mackenzie Boetes
"All we ever wanted was EVERYTHING" - Bauhaus (2012) © Mackenzie Boetes
"I've lost track of who I am." - A Night in Heaven (2010) © Mackenzie Boetes
"I've lost track of who I am." - A Night in Heaven (2010) © Mackenzie Boetes
"I am strong. I am powerful. I am...a fucking loser." - Sunshine Cleaning (2010) © Mackenzie Boetes
"I am strong. I am powerful. I am..." - Sunshine Cleaning (2010) © Mackenzie Boetes