Opening today
APPARIZIONE
Curated by Emma Saperstein
Chief Curator, San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, California
SAPAR CONTEMPORARY
9 North Moore New York, New York 10013
Opening Thursday, April 30 - 2026
6 PM - 9 PM
until june 27
Sapar Contemporary is pleased to announce their third solo exhibition of works by Sofia Cacciapaglia (Italy). The women in Sofia Cacciapaglia’s paintings appear with an immediacy—belonging both to every era and to none, like an apparition of an angel. In her practice, these women call both to each other and to us—dancing, seducing, resting, and perhaps casting their spells, destroying and rebuilding their surroundings into a more hopeful future. They exist outside the boundaries of canvas or cardboard; they are not images meant to be intellectually engaged with, but presences that feel alive. In conversation with sites of apparition—fields and flowers, which Cacciapaglia also calls feminine, on both permanent and temporary material—the works invite us to engage in our own apparitions, our visions, and the poetic and indescribable.
@saparcontemporary
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines apparition as: 1) an unusual or unexpected sight: phenomenon 2) the act of becoming visible: appearance, with Latin origins - the prefix is from the Latin appāri-, meaning "to be visible, be evident, attend, serve."[1] Cacciapaglia’s women are unusual, they are phenomena, they are other-worldly, and they are dramatically visible. They dance, they gossip, they whisper, they gesture, they lounge, they rest, and they ponder. They are wise and omnipotent apparitions. But beyond the figures themselves, the newer landscape works in the exhibition create the context and set the scene, becoming the site of apparition, not unlike the poppy fields in the Wizard of Oz, and they are often painted on cardboard. Sofia says of these works “Cardboard, like wrapping paper, has this neutral yet elegant and natural quality — that camel-brown tone. What I especially love is its inner structure: when you paint on it, it feels as if there is already a trace underneath, something that adds a kind of poetic mark to the brushstroke. Full text link in bio
![The exhibition is openUntil June 27 !!APPARIZIONECurated by Emma SapersteinChief Curator, San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, CaliforniaSAPAR CONTEMPORARY9 North Moore New York, New York 10013Excerpt-Sofia says of these works “Cardboard, like wrapping paper, has this neutral yet elegant and natural quality — that camel-brown tone. What I especially love is its inner structure: when you paint on it, it feels as if there is already a trace underneath, something that adds a kind of poetic mark to the brushstroke. Even the folds and lines of the boxes are important to me.”[2] Even the material choice reflects the concept of apparition - a fleeting and powerful presence. A secret vision that both lasts forever, and disappears.Depictions of, or references to, apparitions have been present in diverse practices and genres of art history since time immemorium. One relevant example (of which there are many) is the French Symbolist artist Gustave Moreau’s 1876 watercolor Apparition depicting his version of the Biblical story of the beheading of John the Baptist utilizing the femme fatale Salome, who conjures, and casts a spell. In the Biblical narrative Moreau references, Salome performs a dance so seductive that the King grants her any wish. Her presence transforms those around her. In Cacciapaglia’s painting above, two women in red striped dresses dance a spell of their own, their expressions focused and intense. Between the two of them, there are fifteen feet, implying quick-footed movement. Unlike Moreau’s painting, which depicts the seductive dance after it has already been concluded, we encounter Cacciapaglia’s women in the middle of their dance. The apparition exists in both their very presence, and in what they may call forth.Of Moreau’s depiction of Salome, art historian Peter Cooke highlights the immobility and rigidity of her figure - she is not moving quickly to entertain, she moves with intention and complete control - and it appears that her body and mind occupy different terrains.@saparcontemporary @emmalucillesaperstein #sofiacacciapaglia](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6739616737322949684159_0_31f72bd3d7288e2d5568f7ad16890702.jpg?o=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&h=0c9df8f582e7a1d7cc4d6a0c8a98d9f8)
![Opening todayAPPARIZIONECurated by Emma SapersteinChief Curator, San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, CaliforniaSAPAR CONTEMPORARY9 North Moore New York, New York 10013Opening Thursday, April 30 - 20266 PM - 9 PMuntil june 27Sapar Contemporary is pleased to announce their third solo exhibition of works by Sofia Cacciapaglia (Italy). The women in Sofia Cacciapaglia’s paintings appear with an immediacy—belonging both to every era and to none, like an apparition of an angel. In her practice, these women call both to each other and to us—dancing, seducing, resting, and perhaps casting their spells, destroying and rebuilding their surroundings into a more hopeful future. They exist outside the boundaries of canvas or cardboard; they are not images meant to be intellectually engaged with, but presences that feel alive. In conversation with sites of apparition—fields and flowers, which Cacciapaglia also calls feminine, on both permanent and temporary material—the works invite us to engage in our own apparitions, our visions, and the poetic and indescribable. @saparcontemporaryThe Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines apparition as: 1) an unusual or unexpected sight: phenomenon 2) the act of becoming visible: appearance, with Latin origins - the prefix is from the Latin appāri-, meaning "to be visible, be evident, attend, serve."[1] Cacciapaglia’s women are unusual, they are phenomena, they are other-worldly, and they are dramatically visible. They dance, they gossip, they whisper, they gesture, they lounge, they rest, and they ponder. They are wise and omnipotent apparitions. But beyond the figures themselves, the newer landscape works in the exhibition create the context and set the scene, becoming the site of apparition, not unlike the poppy fields in the Wizard of Oz, and they are often painted on cardboard. Sofia says of these works “Cardboard, like wrapping paper, has this neutral yet elegant and natural quality — that camel-brown tone. What I especially love is its inner structure: when you paint on it, it feels as if there is already a trace underneath, something that adds a kind of poetic mark to the brushstroke. Full text link in bio](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6739192939704249681437_0_82a5a684857af22d799e8554a9ef3afb.jpg?o=aHR0cHM6Ly9zY29udGVudC1pYWQ2LTEuY2RuaW5zdGFncmFtLmNvbS92L3Q1MS44Mjc4Ny0xNS82ODIwMTcwMjhfMTg1ODM1MDE5NjAwNDg0MTFfMjkwNDUzNDY1NjE5ODEzNDk1MV9uLmpwZz9zdHA9YzAuMjQwLjE0NDAuMTQ0MGFfZHN0LWpwZ19lMzVfczY0MHg2NDBfc2gyLjA4X3R0NiZfbmNfaHQ9c2NvbnRlbnQtaWFkNi0xLmNkbmluc3RhZ3JhbS5jb20mX25jX2NhdD0xMDcmX25jX29jPVE2Y1oyZ0VYdUIwb0RIcHBXV2gwV1NXYUlra0hlNE5oOTB4LWZmZ3FpTTVLNkp1TkV1a01OUFk0VV9BeV9sNDloN2p6ejNEbEhtZkVyVm9BaTgwTnE3Q1A0R2hPJl9uY19vaGM9bHRLY2NRa1QtcHdRN2tOdndFN2lrNFImX25jX2dpZD1pZHNuRHlHSjg0dHJ3ZmRPRzlMMV9BJmVkbT1BUFU4OUZBQkFBQUEmY2NiPTctNSZvaD0wMF9BZjZaLVpEVlREOWVFSzJ0VlJtZFVweFhqcXJpNFk1a0xNZWlkRGNlZnBJaGRBJm9lPTZBMEVBNzk0Jl9uY19zaWQ9YmMwYzJj&h=191cb6d117bc623499552db37776a09e)
