Sagg Napoli – Sempre contratta

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For her solo show Sempre contratta at Basement Roma, SAGG Napoli builds the architectural dimension and physical apparatus of an exercise area into the gallery. Lilac tones envelope the routines and instruments that make up and inform SAGG’s archery preparation – the table to assemble her bow, the storage space where she keeps her arrows, her uniforms, annotations on a whiteboard, and three years of archery competitions award medals.

A new series of artist’s portraits in different media punctuates the space. At the back, SAGG’s body is drawn over three anatomical maps – mappe del dolore, “maps of the pain”, as the artist calls them – showing trigger points connected to specific areas of muscular tension. Hanging on the perimeter of the gym, three videos showcase her warmups and archery exercises. Trigger points can feel like knots, I am told. In physiotherapy, pressure is applied to them to reprogram the neuromuscular system and ease the pain. Triggers are an important terminology in mental health too, indicating a stimulus (which could be a memory, word, or people) that causes an adverse emotional reaction of anxiety and panic. Being ‘triggered’ may lead one to lose control.

SAGG Napoli openly discusses being affected by borderline personality and bipolar disorder, and over the last few years has built and publicly shared important language and awareness on this topic through the lens of her personal embodied experience. Some of these reflections have appeared in the form of images and words disseminated via her Instagram account, often centring physical exercise as a method of “consistency over intensity”. Much of SAGG’s artistic output is deeply intertwined with all aspects of her life, channelling the pursuit of an energy shift through mind and body work. In this spirit, Sempre contratta places the accumulation and dispersal of muscular and psychological tension in dialogue with one’s broader sense of self-worth, identity and agency.

To a certain extent, the quality of mental focus pursued by SAGG through archery results from emotional transactions which involve giving something up in exchange for something else. So much work goes into figuring this out, addressing what is worth retaining and letting go of, to be able to eventually be and feel a certain way under conditions of pressure. One would think SAGG has excellent eyesight, as she is so good at hitting her targets even at distances as wide as 70m (as seen in her recent performance and installation for Dior’s SS25 show in Paris). Yet, truthfully, firing arrows transcends solely physical skills.

“What you see on the target is a reflection of your mind”, reads one of her texts on the gallery floor. In contrast with today’s attention crisis, her archery provides a fascinating demonstration of unwavering concentration and consistency. Having trained as an archer over the last four years, SAGG has gradually brought this sport into her artistic practice – or perhaps they were never separate, to be fair. From this point of view, Sempre contratta offers a glimpse into what SAGG’s daily studio practice looks like. As an environment, it reminds of the format of the artist’s studio-turned-museum, open for public visit, where one encounters an original atmosphere of references and tools. In place of brushes, palettes and easels, here we find a bow and its stand, strings, arrows, and a target to shoot at.

The exhibition is organized and produced by Basement Roma.

Curators: CURA.

Exhibition architecture: Sofia Albrigo

Text: Stella Bottai
Illustrations: Sathyan Rizzo
Press: Maddalena Bonicelli