Sacred Vessel Stretching from the Body to the Universe: Luisa Rabbia and “Containing the Container” in Berlin

When you look at the canvases of Italian-born, New York-based artist Luisa Rabbia, you feel that the human body is not composed merely of flesh and bone, but is part of a universal flow of energy. As one of the most impressive figurative artists of the last three decades, Rabbia’s first solo exhibition in Germany, “Containing the Container,” opens its doors at the Tanya Leighton gallery in Berlin between September 11 and October 10, 2026.

In this new series, Rabbia treats the female body as a source of energy, a focal point of transformation, and a network of solidarity spanning generations. Fed by Neolithic mythology, the artist constructs the female body like a sacred vessel that transforms life, death, and energy into a new existence. Overlapping and interlocking on the canvases, bodies transcend the boundaries of a single human being to turn into a collective power and resilience.

Working on monumental-scale linen canvases, Rabbia establishes a fluid visual language extending from microscopic cell forms to the macro cosmos. Scraped layers, brushstrokes, and fingerprints pressed into paint on the canvas surface appear as concrete indicators of physical labor and traces left on life. Color transitions dominated by shades of blue and purple evoke a state of both physical and spiritual “becoming.”

Opening on the evening of Thursday, September 10, as part of Berlin Art Week, Containing the Container stands out as one of the season’s most striking works, deeply imparting the personal and the universal, women’s solidarity, and the unity of nature and the body.