Untitled, 2023
Found wood, beeswax, rusted canvas, string and rope
Untitled investigates the aftermath of artistic climax, paralleling the emotional and physical states following sexual release. Ophélie Napoli’s creative intensity and exposure is described by Nietzsche’s (1967, pp.176-7) idea that “higher culture” thrives on cruelty.1 The dripping forms, suggesting bodily fluids, echo Richard Serra’s emphasis on unforeseen transformations shaping both perception and artistic vision.
Suspension: Napoli employs a structured canvas juxtaposed with uncontrolled dripping, embedding shifting gravitational fields (Krauss, 2002, p.32).2 Discipline as an apparatus of power (Foucault, 1977, p.215)3 in this work is complicated by the tension between containment and release, presenting structure as both authoritative and fragile.
Traces of Climax: The residual dripping are lingering traces of artistic and sexual climax within the “logic of flows of material” (Krauss, 2002, p.53). There is a “theatricality” in the artist’s oeuvre, emphasising duration rather than immediate gratification (Fried, 1998, pp.166-7),4 which reinforces the tangible, yet elusive, marks left behind.
The Little Death: La petite mort or "the little death,” connects orgasm with ego dissolution, registering the suspended state between climax and renewal. Desire as inherently incomplete (Sartre, 2003, p.112)5 also suggests the interplay of finality and regeneration, situating the work within ongoing cycles of artistic death and rebirth.
Slow-Motion Apocalypse: The gradual, lingering decay depicted in Napoli’s work mirrors collapse on a planetary scale. Nietzsche’s (1967, p.98) claim that “insanity in individuals is rare—but in groups...it is the rule,” frames this slow catastrophe, whereby urban overstimulation, where sensory overload ultimately numbs awareness to ongoing crises (Simmel, 1990, p.256).6
Notes:
1 Nietzsche, F. (1967). Beyond Good and Evil, trans. Helen Zimmern. George Allen and Unwin Ltd.
2 Krauss, R. (2002). Eva Hesse, October Files. MIT Press.
3 Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, trans. Alan Sheridan. Penguin Books.
4 Fried, M. (1998). Art and Objecthood: Essays and Reviews. University of Chicago Press.
5 Sartre, J.-P. (2003). Being and Nothingness, trans. Hazel E. Barnes. Routledge.
6 Simmel, G. (1990). The Philosophy of Money, ed. D. Frisby, trans. T. Bottomore & D. Frisby. Routledge.
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Close Considerations
Immersive Presence: At approximately 1m x 150cm, Untitled dominates viewers’ vision, creating an immersive environment that suspends the audience within its visual tension. Its scale actively engages rather than passively occupies space, intensifying the experience of the artwork.
Materiality: Napoli integrates remnants of earlier pieces and employs rusted surfaces, suggesting organic decay and embracing the slow disintegration of structured systems. The deliberate use of materials such as vinegar-iron textures evokes bodily rejection: rusted iron, decaying, coagulating blood, reinforcing the theme of deterioration.
The Cloud: The central abstract form resembles a vast cloud caught between solidity and dissolution. Its state symbolises an unresolved tension between collapse and regeneration as in Sartre’s (2003, p.111) concept of identity formed by what it lacks, by "what it is not."1
Tragic Beauty: Echoing Romanticist aesthetics, the work uses rust-coloured stains, pointing to sacrifice, blood, and tragic grandeur. Societal condition depicted through the intertwined nature of beauty and tragedy, aspiration and downfall (Houellebecq, 2001, p.4).2
Comfort, Repulsion, and Paradox
Napoli’s textures juxtapose comforting materials like pillowy fur against unsettling corroded surfaces, creating a paradoxical tension between attraction and discomfort. This duality gives it its seductive charm, which simultaneously invites and rejects viewer interaction, underscoring deeper human contradictions (Nixon, 2002, p.173).3
Notes:
1 Sartre, J.-P. (2003). Being and Nothingness, trans. Hazel E. Barnes. Routledge.
2 Houellebecq, Michel. (2001). Atlas. Flammarion
3 Nixon, M. (ed.). (2002). Eva Hesse. Essays and interview by C. Nemser, R. Krauss, M. Bochner, B. Fer
Process
Autotelicism: Napoli’s practice embraces an intuitive, process-driven approach where the artwork evolves through dynamic interactions with materials rather than following a predetermined concept. Like Richard Serra, Napoli's method is "autolectic," focused on "materiality and the process itself" rather than conforming to a "preexisting conceptual order" (Schiff, 2015, p.112).1
Transformation of the Frame: Beginning with a traditional two-dimensional frame, Napoli subverts its function by converting it into a sculptural object by complicating the boundary between painting and sculpture, whereby "the entire piece, the structure and the object are coextensive" (Judd, 2016, p.164).2
Material Repurposing: Incorporating metal fragments from her work in the same exhibition Argument in the Age of Desolation (2023) along with canvas, threads, and beeswax, Napoli emphasises cyclical renewal by continuously transforming materials from previous works. This is process art, where the act of making becomes "the primary content of the work itself" (Pincus-Witten, 1987, p.11).3
Entanglement and Unravelling: Threads, central to the work, map life’s perpetual tension between order and chaos; they appear shredded, entangled, and unravelled. Such materials and repetition in the artist’s practice open the work to broader interpretations vis a vis the complexities of life (Nixon, 2002, p.175).4
Chance in Composition: Materials layered and fixed with epoxy glue undergo continuous manipulation over several weeks, allowing chance to influence the final form. Through the resin-hardening technique Napoli harnesses unpredictability and time to shape the work's visceral impact (Lippard, 1992, p.141).5
Notes:
1 Schiff, R. (2015). Richard Serra: Forged Steel. David Zwirner.
2 Judd, D. (2016). Complete Writings 1959–1975. Judd Foundation.
Pincus-Witten, 1987, p.11).3 Pincus-Witten, R. (1987). Postminimalism. Thames and Hudson.
4 Nixon, M. (ed.). (2002). Eva Hesse. Essays and interview by C. Nemser, R. Krauss, M. Bochner, B. Fer,
5 Lippard, L. (1992). Eva Hesse. New York: Da Capo Press.
References
Biblical Apocalyptic Imagery: Napoli’s invokes apocalyptic themes of the Rapture and Final Judgment, of the ultimate divine reckoning through the ominous cloud that suggests impending catastrophe. Echoing Adorno and Horkheimer, the work portrays how humanity's enlightenment paradoxically culminates in "disaster triumphant" (1989, p.3), an existential disjunction between awareness and oblivion.1
La Reine Margot: Drawing from Romanticist aesthetics, Napoli emphasises drama and emotional intensity, notably influenced by the film The Queen Margot (1994), which depicts the tragic violence of St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. This connection highlights her engagement with themes of historical memory, loss, and sacrifice.
Anselm Kiefer’s Historical Memory: The monumental scale, layered textures, and incorporation of historical references directly links Napoli's practice with Anselm Kiefer’s heavy, immersive works. As Sischy (1981, p.67) notes, like Napoli, Kiefer expresses cultural and art historical narratives as "open-ended, unstable and continuously renewed.”2
Berlinde De Bruyckere: The tactile, vulnerable surfaces in Napoli's work recall Berlinde De Bruyckere's sculptures, which similarly investigate decay, organic textures, and bodily fragility. These material choices underscore Napoli’s ongoing exploration of physical vulnerability and decay (Lippard, 1992, p.133).3
Tetsumi Kudo: Napoli engages erotic symbolism reminiscent of Tetsumi Kudo (1935-1990), whose practice used phallic, entangled forms and detritus to reflect sexuality and contamination (Sirmans, 2016, p.63).4 Napoli ingeniously draws this tension into the themes of ecological crisis, emphasising humanity’s entrapment and vulnerability within deteriorating environmental conditions.
Notes:
1 Adorno, T. & Horkheimer, M. (1989). Dialectic of Enlightenment, trans. John Cumming. New York: Verso.
2 Sischy, I. (1981). Artforum (Summer), p.67.
3 Lippard, L. (1992). Eva Hesse. New York: Da Capo Press.
4 Fowle, K., Sirmans, F., & Morgan, J. (2016). STERLING RUBY. Phaidon.