'Ancestral Home' is a collection of modern artefacts that draw on myths, history and rituals. Each piece can be seen as a totem and invites the viewer to stitch together their own narrative, drawing on collective memories and signifiers to generate meanings. 

The body of work presented in 'Ancestral Home' invites the viewer to connect with an archetypal part of themselves and by extension tap into our collective roots. In doing so, Merchant's work explores how objects can be markers of identity and how these may be reworked in contemporary contexts as meanings and interpretations change. 

Nature plays a pivotal role in the artists’ works and is emphasised by the use of organic shapes and non saturated colours. The paintings are made using a combination of watercolour and collage elements, drawing on 17th century botanical drawings and folk art, to create a body of work that is visually linked to our collective pasts. 

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Biography

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Rithika Merchant (b.1986) received her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Parsons the New School for Design, New York in 2008. She has exhibited extensively since her graduation including a number of solo exhibitions in Mumbay, New York, and Lisbon.  Recent exhibitions include a duo show “Reliquaries: The Remembered Self” at TARQ, Mumbai, and “Language of the Birds: Occult and Art” at 80WSE Gallery, New York, as well as group shows at Summerhall, Edinburgh and Artry Gallery, Kochi. Her work has been included in multiple group shows at Stephen Romano Gallery and The Morbid Anatomy Museum, New York.

She had her debut solo show “Luna Tabulatorum” at Stephen Romano Gallery in 2015, as well as her debut solo show in Madrid “Intersections” at Galeria Combustion Espontanea in 2016. Born in Bombay she now divides her time between Bombay and Barcelona.

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For More Information:

Artists Homepage

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