Hayley Axelrad’s Shrimp Ring is a vividly stylised tableau that captures the surreal tension of a mid-century dinner party. The scene is saturated with pastel hues and populated by stiff, enigmatic characters whose expressions hover between delight and discomfort. At the centre of the elongated green table rests a conspicuous shrimp ring, surrounded by ambiguous symbols of domestic life—cake, candles, flowers, and champagne. Axelrad’s flattened perspective and theatrical composition evoke both nostalgia and satire, critiquing societal performance and bourgeois rituals. The work is quintessential Axelrad, weaving humour and unease into a cinematic reflection on identity, family dynamics, and curated appearances.