Have you noticed how Amy Sherald's figures are occasionally holding props? These props, which appear in many of Sherald’s early works, allude to the artist's interest in film, magical realism, the fantastic, and the ways in which objects can invoke personality or narrative. Whether a ragdoll, a unicorn hobbyhorse, or a mysteriously floating toy schooner, the objects Sherald selects lend these early works a dreamlike quality, undermining straightforward readings of the figures while offering open-ended interpretive possibilities. Amy Sherald: American Sublime is on view only until August 10. — #AmySherald (asherald), It Made Sense...Mostly in Her Mind, 2011. Oil on canvas, 54 × 43 × 2 1/2 in. (137.16 × 109.22 × 6.35 cm). Nancy and Sean Cotton Collection. © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photograph by Lowy Art Services