Artistic videogames are becoming common, but they’re not a new phenomenon. In the 1990s, Australian artist Martine Corompt made videogame artworks that blended biological theory with technological development to explore the concept of cuteness. One aspect that Corompt investigated is ‘neoteny’, a term that describes how some species retain juvenile, ‘cute’ traits in adulthood to make others feel protective of them.
She drew a parallel between neoteny and the changing aesthetic of tech in the 90s. Her early artworks were made on Amiga, but she noted that Apple computers began introducing faces to their interface in the 90s, and messages addressing the user directly, creating a sense of familiarity — the computer wasn’t just a tool, but a friend.
The Cute Machine morphs and mutates ‘cuteness’ to the extreme, blurring the boundaries between innocence and transgression.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
On display until
28 June 2026
ACMI: Gallery 1
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
B1001948
Language
English
Audience classification
unclassified
Subject category
Digital Art
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Games Lab → GL-03. Cluster 3 → GL-03-C05
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
CD-R; Master
CD ROM; Copy
CD ROM; Exhibition Copy