Rithika Merchant Summons Ancient Mythology and Mysticism in ‘The Dreaming Realm’
Merchant's fable-like narratives tap into our anxieties around the environment by conjuring instead a kind of utopia. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Rithika Merchant Summons Ancient Mythology and Mysticism in ‘The Dreaming Realm’ appeared first on Colossal .
Rithika Merchant’s latest exhibition, The Dreaming Realm, draws on ancient mythology and mysticism to create surreal, dream-like tableaux that explore the natural world and human consciousness. In her works, mythological creatures interact with flora and fauna in dreamscapes that blend elements like insects, stars, and metaphysical tendrils with human bodies that have the heads of raptors. These strange yet alluring compositions may represent esoteric rituals or communions with nature.
Merchant’s artwork taps into collective anxiety about the environment while offering hope for healing. Her vibrant new body of work centers on hybrid creatures and a sense of the sacred, comprising her solo exhibition at Galerie LJ in Paris. The exhibition emphasizes the volatility and strength of elemental phenomena like earth, plants, fire, water, and the stars.
Merchant incorporates a variety of theoretical, historical, and iconographic references, including the Greek concept of Kairos, which questions the subjectivity of time, and research on the Beguines of the Middle Ages. The Beguines were financially independent Christian women who occasionally practiced mysticism. Some communities of Beguines still exist today.
Symbolic elements in Merchant’s paintings, such as the luna moth and ravens, evoke themes of intuition, transitions, wisdom, foresight, and a bridge to other realms. Community forms a conceptual nucleus of her paintings, especially in her ongoing series Interspecies Care, which explores social organization, interdependence, reciprocity between species, and knowledge sharing.
The Dreaming Realm continues at Galerie LJ in Paris until November 21. To learn more about Merchant’s work, visit her Instagram.
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