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Mumbai-based artist Rithika Merchant’s solo exhibition, The Dreaming Realm, is on view at Galerie LJ in Paris through November 21, 2026. The paintings combine mythological imagery, hybrid beings and natural forces to explore themes including environmental anxiety, transformation and cooperation. The gallery describes the work’s research and references; the supplied report does not provide a visitor count or further exhibition details.
Rithika Merchant’s solo exhibition, The Dreaming Realm, is on view at Galerie LJ in Paris through November 21, bringing together paintings that place hybrid creatures and mythological imagery in landscapes shaped by elemental forces. The Mumbai-based artist’s new body of work connects dreamlike scenes with themes of environmental anxiety, transformation and cooperation, according to a report by Colossal and information from the gallery.
Merchant’s paintings feature human figures with raptor heads, insects, stars, plants and watchful eyes, arranged in carefully balanced, surreal compositions. The scenes suggest encounters with the natural world that may resemble rituals or ceremonies, though the supplied report does not identify a single fixed narrative or prescribe one interpretation. Floods and eruptions appear alongside groups of figures taking part in enigmatic activities.
The gallery says the works draw on theoretical, historical and iconographic research. Among the references it names are empirical experience through sensory perception, the ancient Greek concept of Kairos—used to question how time is experienced—and research on the medieval Beguines, financially independent Christian laywomen, some of whom practiced mysticism. These references inform the exhibition’s subject matter; the gallery does not describe the paintings as direct historical depictions.
In the work’s symbolic vocabulary, the gallery associates luna moths with intuition and change, and ravens with wisdom, foresight and passage between realms. The exhibition also includes Merchant’s ongoing series Interspecies Care, which the gallery says considers social organization, reciprocity between species, interdependence and the sharing of knowledge.
Myth and Ecology Meet on the Canvas
The exhibition brings questions about human relationships with the natural world into a visual language drawn from myth, symbolism and speculative storytelling. Its scenes of environmental upheaval and collective activity connect ecological uncertainty with the possibility of care and cooperation, rather than presenting the works only as fantasy imagery.
The focus on interspecies reciprocity also gives the paintings a social dimension: the gallery frames shared knowledge and mutual dependence as recurring ideas. For visitors, the exhibition offers an encounter with those concerns through images rather than a stated political program. The available source material does not establish how audiences have responded or whether Merchant intends the symbols to carry the same meaning for every viewer.
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The Ideas Behind Merchant’s Imagery
The Dreaming Realm is described as a new body of work by Merchant, a Mumbai-based artist. Colossal’s report places its paintings in surreal, fable-like settings where creatures, flora and celestial elements share space. The gallery’s account links this imagery to research into sensory experience, time, medieval women’s communities and symbols of transformation.
The Beguines were lay Christian women who organized communities and, in some cases, practiced mysticism. The gallery notes that some Beguine communities in western Europe still exist today. That historical reference sits alongside Kairos, a Greek idea used here to question the subjectivity of time; neither reference means the paintings document those historical subjects directly.
Merchant’s Interspecies Care series provides a more explicit connection to communal life. The gallery says it addresses relationships between species and the exchange of knowledge. The exhibition’s broader scenes of ceremonies and cooperation echo those ideas, while leaving their precise meanings open to interpretation.
“The works draw on “theoretical, historical, and iconographic references.””
— Galerie LJ, as quoted in Colossal’s report
Interpretations and Exhibition Details
The source material does not give a complete checklist of works, exhibition hours, admission information or details about public events. It also does not specify whether the exhibition includes media beyond paintings. Visitors should check Galerie LJ’s current listings for practical information before attending.
The gallery’s descriptions of moths, ravens and communal scenes provide interpretive guidance, not proof that every image has one definitive meaning. The report also presents environmental anxiety and hope for healing as themes of the work, but does not report a direct statement from Merchant explaining her intentions in her own words. No attendance figures or audience response are provided.
Paris Exhibition Runs Through November
The Dreaming Realm is scheduled to remain at Galerie LJ through November 21, 2026. The supplied report does not identify a later venue, tour dates or a closing event. Any announcement of further exhibition plans would need to come from the artist or gallery.
Readers seeking images or additional information can consult Galerie LJ’s exhibition materials and Merchant’s Instagram, which Colossal’s report points to for more of the artist’s work. Practical details and any schedule changes should be confirmed with the gallery.
Key Questions
Where is The Dreaming Realm on view?
The Dreaming Realm is at Galerie LJ in Paris, according to the supplied report.
How long does the exhibition run?
The exhibition is scheduled to continue through November 21, 2026. Check with Galerie LJ for current visiting information.
What subjects appear in Merchant’s paintings?
The works include hybrid human-animal figures, insects, stars, plants and natural forces, with scenes of floods, eruptions and collective activity.
What does the exhibition say about the Beguines?
The gallery cites research on the Beguines, a medieval community of financially independent Christian laywomen, some of whom practiced mysticism. The paintings are not described as literal historical scenes.
What is Interspecies Care about?
The gallery says Merchant’s ongoing series explores interdependence, reciprocity between species, social organization and knowledge sharing.
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