Pick Me Up at The Parker 2018

Carrie Graber's "Pick Me Up at The Parker" presents us with a scene seemingly lifted from a mid-century daydream. The artist directs our gaze towards the stylishly dressed woman, the vintage car and the uniformed man that evoke the stylized elegance of Palm Springs. It's a scene filled with implied narratives about gender, class, and race. The woman in her fashionable attire and large hat represents leisure and affluence, yet her averted face obscures her individuality. The uniformed man standing at the door reminds us of the service labor that props up such a lifestyle. We're invited to consider how these elements of luxury and service are constructed and experienced differently depending on one's position in society. While the painting revels in the aesthetic of a bygone era, it subtly questions the power dynamics inherent in these images of glamour. It evokes both nostalgia and a critical awareness of the stories we tell ourselves about the past.