Gallery Sonder is proud to present Symbiosis, a new body of work by Lydia Baker that reflects on the transformation of motherhood through the eyes of a daughter. In these paintings, the maternal figure is imagined as a singular self that shifts, divides, and multiplies—expanding into new bonds of care and connection. Larger figures cradle, protect, and guide smaller ones, embodying the complex dynamics of caregiver and recipient, adult and inner child, parent and future child.

Across eight jewel-toned canvases, Baker situates these figures within surreal, dreamlike environments that function as both projections of the future and visual interpretations of the body undergoing transformation. Her textured mark-making carries a subtle vibration, while her limited value structure softens contrast to produce a contemplative, almost meditative optical glow.

Rendered in a palette that balances flesh-like purples, reds, and browns with ethereal lilacs and blues, the works pulse with psychological and symbolic resonance. They suggest womb-like portals, undulating forms, and watery mirages—landscapes of memory, fantasy, and subconscious thought.

Influenced by thinkers and artists such as Lucy Jones, Esther Perel, Agnes Pelton, and Louise Bourgeois, Baker positions Symbiosis in dialogue with feminist and spiritual lineages while grounding it in lived experience. The phenomenon of fetal microchimerism—the enduring presence of fetal cells within a birth parent’s body—emerges as a central metaphor for interconnectedness across generations.

With Symbiosis, Lydia Baker extends her ongoing exploration of time, memory, and the internal cycles of the female body. What unfolds is a deeply compassionate meditation on origin, family dynamics, and love—an invitation to witness how bodies, stories, and futures remain intertwined.

Lydia Baker (b. 1990, Norfolk, Virginia) is a Brooklyn-based artist whose paintings and drawings explore the intersections of time, memory, desire, and familial connection. Her jewel-toned figurative works, rendered in oil on linen and wax pastel on sanded paper, often feature female protagonists in surreal, dreamlike environments where relationships unfold across emotional, psychological, and symbolic registers. Through soft overlays of color and undulating, womb-like forms, her practice meditates on cycles of the female body, questions of origin, and the complex dynamics of intimacy and care.

Baker’s work frequently engages with themes of reproductive technology, family-making, and intergenerational connection, drawing inspiration from the phenomenon of fetal microchimerism—the persistence of fetal and parental cells across generations—as a metaphor for enduring bonds. She earned her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and MFA from the New York Academy of Art, and has exhibited internationally with Massey Klein Gallery, London Art Fair, Wilder Gallery, Sugarlift Gallery, and Fortnight Institute. Her work has been featured in ArtNet, Juxtapoz, New American Paintings, and David Zwirner’s Platform, among others.