Ariana Papademetropoulos Presents Immersive 'Glass Slipper' Exhibition at Thaddaeus Ropac Paris

Ariana Papademetropoulos has opened a solo exhibition titled 'Glass Slipper' at Thaddaeus Ropac's gallery in Paris. The show, which runs until April 11, 2026, features two distinct series of paintings alongside a central installation. One painting series presents hyper-realistic depictions of dresses enclosed in dry cleaning bags, while the other shows chairs suspended in various landscapes. A significant interactive component is a large aquarium containing 150 freshwater kissing fish, accompanied by a mattress where visitors can recline and listen to a specially commissioned three-minute soundtrack by the band Air. The artist conceived the exhibition as a ritualistic journey, transforming the gallery's church-like space into an environment exploring themes of presence through absence, portals, and invisible forces. Papademetropoulos cites diverse influences including fairy tales, an esoteric interpretation of 'The Wizard of Oz,' and films by Jean Cocteau and Roger Vadim. The exhibition also incorporates vintage phone booths on the second floor, which serve as auditory portals featuring recorded psychic readings in French by Yaguel Didier. The artist describes her practice as an investigation into the intersection of the psychic and quantum fields, where science meets magic. The show aims to create an immersive, meditative experience for viewers, with the aquarium functioning as a therapeutic device inspired by Korean spa rituals.