Sarah Zapata's Brutalist Textile Installation Opens at Sargent's Daughters

At Sargent's Daughters in New York, Sarah Zapata presents her solo exhibition titled In Escape From the Vices of Idleness, showcasing a striking installation of brutalist, cube-like shapes adorned with vibrant textiles cascading onto the floor. The Peruvian-American artist constructs these architectural forms using a variety of hand-woven, latch-hooked, and embroidered techniques, inspired by ancient Andean motifs and modernist design. The exhibition is open until October 24, 2026, at 370 Broadway, with some sculptures crafted from repurposed crates from the gallery. Zapata views handwork as a defiant response to technological decline and emphasizes embroidery as a method that prolongs creation. Her work, which delves into themes of gender, colonialism, and fantasy, reflects her queer, Peruvian roots from Evangelical Texas, now based in New York. She has previously exhibited at venues such as ASU Art Museum and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, with her pieces included in notable collections like the Stedelijk Museum and Bass Museum of Art. The installation embodies elements of architecture, fantasy, and labor, resonating with the essence of Luther Vandross's 'You're The Sweetest One.'