Artist Marina Kappos opens her solo exhibition 'Piercing the Veil' at SHRINE gallery in New York City, running from May 15 to June 27. The show features her signature acrylic-on-wood-panel paintings that use thin layers of pigment to create gauzy, prismatic effects. Inspired by the sculptural figures of grieving women she encountered at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, Kappos explores themes of loss, memory, presence and absence, and the threshold between life and death. Works like 'Veil Study (Eclipse)' (2026) and 'Quantum Study (Green Entanglement)' (2025) depict hazy landscapes and keyhole-shaped portals that invite viewers to contemplate the unknown and the spiritual.
This exhibition matters because it addresses the universal and timely subject of grief through a visually distinctive, meditative approach. Kappos transforms a somber theme into an exploration of hope and transcendence, positioning her work within a broader contemporary conversation about consciousness, impermanence, and the human experience. By drawing on the iconography of cemetery sculpture, she connects personal emotion to a long artistic tradition of memorializing loss, making the show relevant for both art audiences and those seeking meaningful engagement with difficult emotions.