Hayley Axelrad’s The Suburbs is a playful and sharply observant painting that blends pastel charm with biting social commentary. Set against a manicured neighbourhood backdrop with the Hollywood hills in view, the scene features three women in exaggerated poses—cycling, gardening, and walking a dog—each caught in a moment of stylised domestic bliss. Axelrad’s flat, vibrant palette and whimsical aesthetic recall both pop art and naive painting traditions. This work critiques the idealised suburban dream, exposing its performative and artificial layers. The Suburbs is emblematic of Axelrad’s oeuvre, where humour and satire are tools for dissecting femininity, class, and cultural myths.