Installation view: Ariana Papademetropoulos: Unweave a Rainbow; © Ariana Papademetropoulos; Photo by Argenis Apolinario; Courtesy the artist and Vito Schnabel Gallery
Ariana Papademetropoulos’s latest show at Vito Schnabel Projects is a soft, immersive experience that takes the viewer on a metaphorical journey. We feel compelled to follow the otherworldly music and wander throughout the space, just like the children who followed the irresistible music of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. A large room, carpeted with a vibrant and plush orange carpet that gives off a sense of exhilarating retro comfort, welcomes visitors. But I’m told this color matches the one used to identify Agent Orange, the defoliant chemical used during the Vietnam War. The manufacturer of Agent Orange was Rainbow Herbicides — a clue regarding the title of the exhibition, Unweave a Rainbow.