Two galleries have teamed up to co-present the group exhibition, “Thank you, I’m rested now. I’ll have the lobster today, thank you,” borrowing its title from Karen Kilimnik’s 2016 collage of a Siamese cat poised on a Rococo-style bed. Margot Samel from New York and Pangée from Montreal, explore the diverse meanings of the bed, spanning various mediums including fiber work, dreamlike paintings and miniature sculptures. A universal space of comfort, the bed has become a symbol of luxury in a world where rest is a privilege afforded only to the wealthy.

Christina Barerra, A Parar Para Avanzar [To Stop to Advance or To Strike to Advance] (2022), © Matthew Sherman.

I only had the opportunity to visit Margot Samel’s space, where one’s attention is immediately drawn to the delicately, loosely woven cotton hammock in the center of the room. Christina Barrera’s A Parar Para Avanzar [To Stop to Advance or To Strike to Advance] (2022) resembles the perfect resting place, yet it does not have the strength to bear weight, alluding to the unrealized Colombian revolutions, expressing the danger of existing somewhere that cannot support you. Cathleen Clarke’s ghostly renderings in No Man’s Land (2024) silently hangs in the corner, peering out like a lost child. For Clarke, the bed is a liminal space—where we access our childlike fascinations, dreams or even ghoulish phantoms. The oil painting, with its mystical dark purple and green hues, transports the viewer back to childhood, prompting them to reimagine thoughts that might have kept them up at night.

The miniature objects of Nadia Belerique’s SLICE (mousetraps) 2, 14 (2024) include a found mousetrap and dollhouse furniture, heightening one’s awareness of our surroundings. Belerique’s display evokes memories of the meticulous care we deluged onto our belongings as children—even crafting beds for our dolls and toys. This installation challenges viewers to reflect on what happened to that sense of protection and why we cannot extend it to ourselves.

The theme of the bed takes the viewer on a whirlwind tour of concepts—exploring self-care, dreamlike states, uprisings and love. With varying manifestations of each piece, we begin to understand the luxury of rest and how the bed represents so much more than just sleep.

 

“Thank you, I’m rested now. I’ll have the lobster today, thank you”
runs through July 26, 2024
Margot Samel
295 Church Street
New York, NY 10013
info@margotsamel.com