Mindy Solomon is pleased to present Cuando el gato no está, a group exhibition featuring works by Kate MacDowell, Hannah Banciella, and Ella Stouse. Curated by Sophia Ballesteros, the exhibition takes its title from the proverb “Cuando el gato no está, los ratones hacen fiesta” (“When the cat’s away, the mice will play”), a phrase that imagines the hidden behaviors that emerge in the absence of authority. Following the animal figures that populate each artist’s practice, the exhibition invites viewers to consider what critters might do when their human counterparts are out of sight.

Kate MacDowell’s hand-built porcelain sculptures merge ecological awareness with psychological inquiry. In this selection of works, each animal — from the extinct Carolina parakeet to the humble ant — appears with human hands, materializing the allegorical relationships we project onto the natural world. A pair of Carolina parakeets perched on a branch engage in a series of ambiguous interactions, their gestures varying between care and conflict. Elsewhere in the gallery, a trio of ants is absorbed in an animated exchange, their postures revealing personality and social complexity.

It is human nature to project onto the interactions and relationships of animals, a tendency further explored in the work of Ella Stouse as she playfully draws upon traditional fairytales, folklore, and fables to reflect on contemporary conditions. Approaching her work with “symbolic distance,” she aims to channel often distressing themes through imagery that balances familiarity with the uncanny. The animals within her paintings become symbolic stand-ins for human behavior, as seen in the work such as Pigs and ladders (2026) and Frogs’ desired king (2026). These works, while addressing systems of authority and hierarchy, also overlap in a space of whimsy and so-called ‘monkey business,’ with a sense of humor at the forefront of these scenes.

Alternatively, Hannah Banciella presents a series of paintings where deep shades of blue reveal the more melancholic sides of animal symbolism. Across her work, Banciella utilizes themes of magical realism to timelessly reflect the pitfalls of human nature. In Devuélveme mi perla (2025), for example, the artist references La perla de la mora (1889), a short poem by Cuban revolutionary José Martí that illustrates the importance of appreciating what one has before it’s gone. Banciella’s latest painting, in shades of green and titled This kind of stuck is forever (2026), offers a poignant glimpse into the intimate worlds that often exist beyond human attention.

Together, the three artists over empathetic perspectives on the animal world through literary and personal references. In MacDowell’s words, “when we assign meaning and allegory to the natural world it can lead to its preservation or destruction, but it’s always shaped by the experience of being viewed.” Cuando el gato no está considers the delicate balance between instinct and vulnerability, prompting the viewer to take note in the behaviors and impulses that may or may not distinguish us within animal kingdom.