Ariana Papademetropoulos' "Glass Slipper" Exhibition in Paris Explores Perception and Domesticity
Ariana Papademetropoulos' debut solo exhibition in France, titled "Glass Slipper," is currently on display at Thaddaeus Ropac Paris Marais until April 11th, 2026. This multifaceted showcase seamlessly intertwines painting, sculpture, and interactive installation, inviting viewers into a distinctive artistic landscape. The exhibition's centerpiece, "Water Based Treatment," is an innovative, habitable aquarium populated by 'kissing fish.' Visitors are encouraged to enter a transparent enclosure within the structure and recline, enveloped by a soundscape crafted by Nicolas Godin of the music duo Air. This auditory experience, drawing inspiration from 1970s ambient therapy recordings, isolates sound while visual input is filtered through water, glass, and the ceaseless motion of the fish, creating a profound sense of disorientation and altered perception.
Surrounding this central aquatic feature, Papademetropoulos presents an array of large-scale paintings that depict unsettling juxtapositions of everyday interiors with dynamic, often volatile, natural phenomena. Complementing these works are sculptural pieces, such as telephone booths and erupting microwaves, which further amplify the exhibition's exploration of unseen forces and mediated experiences. The artist's work consistently challenges conventional notions of space and perception, drawing viewers into a world where boundaries are fluid and reality is subject to interpretation.
The immersive nature of "Water Based Treatment" subtly yet powerfully disrupts typical viewing experiences. Unlike traditional art where the observer stands apart, this installation positions the visitor directly inside the artwork, while the fish move freely beyond the transparent confines. This arrangement highlights the concept of "Umwelt," an idea championed by the LA-based artist, suggesting that individual perception is inherently subjective and contextual. The experience of being suspended between environments, with a split sensory field, destabilizes human-centric vision and fosters the emergence of alternative modes of sensing. The clear boundaries of the aquarium deliberately evoke the fairy tale motifs referenced throughout the exhibition, from Cinderella to Snow White, bringing to mind objects that simultaneously preserve and isolate. In this unique context, however, the visitor assumes the role of the enclosed, experiencing a state of suspension that is both carefully controlled and profoundly ambiguous.
Throughout the "Glass Slipper" exhibition, Papademetropoulos meticulously crafts domestic settings that appear simultaneously intimate and fraught with instability. Ordinary items like chairs, textiles, and household objects are transposed into dramatic backdrops of lava flows, billowing smoke, and turbulent atmospheres. This artistic choice allows the familiar order of the home to be subsumed by overwhelming external forces. The deliberate absence of human figures intensifies this effect, implying presence through the very emptiness and through objects that seem either freshly abandoned or on the cusp of a significant metamorphosis.
The exhibition unfolds as a carefully orchestrated sequence of thresholds, each inviting contemplation. Upon entering, paintings featuring dresses encased in transparent dry-cleaning bags introduce overarching themes of care, confinement, and the suspension of identity. These visual echoes resonate with the enclosed logic of the central aquarium, forging a cohesive link between the painted works and the interactive installation. On the upper floor, shell-shaped telephone booths, inspired by those found at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, offer visitors recorded dialogues between the artist and her psychic mediums. Nearby, paintings depicting microwaves mid-eruption serve as visual metaphors for processes that transpire beyond immediate sensory perception, illustrating how heat, pressure, and transformation are contained within seemingly mundane devices. Across these diverse pieces, Papademetropoulos draws inspiration from Albert Einstein's concept of "spooky action at a distance," seeking to uncover invisible connections and delayed reactions within the domestic sphere. Viewed through the lens of the central aquarium, the entire exhibition transforms into a dynamic and fluid perceptual field, inviting deep reflection on the nature of reality and consciousness.