Baby Opening Night at MULCH Gallery

Rachel Lord | San Clemente

Last weekend we opened our studio doors in San Clemente for BABY, a new body of work by Rachel Lord

The show explores the development of the super-ego through the familiar dismissal: “my kid could paint that.” Lord leans directly into that tension. Through graphic, pop assemblages of painting and sculpture, she uses the language of childhood to examine hypnosis, language acquisition, brainwashing, and politics. Bright palettes, naive forms, and playful compositions become Trojan horses — disarming at first glance, quietly destabilizing on closer inspection.

Communal, curious, and unpretentious. Neighbors, collectors, surfers, and families moved through the work together, conversations bouncing between laughter and debate. Kids pointed at colors. Adults questioned their assumptions. The studio felt alive.

BABY reminds us that childhood is not innocent — it is formative. It’s where ideology first takes root, where language becomes identity, where suggestion becomes belief.

Thank you to everyone who showed up, stayed late, and leaned in, this show will be live for the next month