Ancestral Home

Rithika Merchant

 
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Rithika Merchant’s most recent series, “Ancestral Home,” contains lusciously rich gauche, archetypal figures, and intimate embroidery hoop frames. Merchant’s imagery employs a wide variety of techniques and influences, but what she holds at the core of her work is a kind of timeless, archetypal storytelling. This allows the viewer to interact with her imagery and cultural understandings while staying true to her own personal story. Merchant shared how she got started as an artist and what issues drive and continue to inspire her work.

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COURTNEY SIMCHAK: Quite a bit of your work is rooted in your experience of the world—geographically, socially and mythically. Is there a facet or element of myth that you find prevalent or influential in your work? What mythological story or concept do you feel the most affinity with?
 

RITHIKIA MERCHANT: The combination of having grown up in India, studied in the U.S.A., and then having travelled extensively and finally settling in Europe is the reason for my interest in the links between cultures. I’ve been lucky enough to able to explore different cultures and witness them. Both Europe and India have such a mixture of different traditions, it has helped me see parallel histories everywhere. The history of myth and traditions shows links between cultures that often are not highlighted in classical history.

I have always been very interested in narratives, myths, and received histories that are available to us. I am also interested in how these different fragments are “woven” together to from a complete image. Most cultures use imagery to tell stories and represent ideas. I try to use these ancient means of storytelling in a more contemporary context.

I find creation myths to be the most compelling. These myths are found in almost all human cultures. They are almost always set in a faraway and very non-specific past and always feature lots of different characters, many of who transform from human to animal or vice versa. I find these myths very meaningful because they can tell you a lot about the identity and worldview of the society of which it speaks.
 

SIMCHAK: How did “Ancestral Home” come about?
 

MERCHANT: This series of work came about from my efforts to understand how a diaspora grapples with what they leave behind and what they carry with them.

The works in this series can be viewed as 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.

We are at a time when now more than ever we are really seeing a lot of social issues that have lurked just below of the surface, bubbling up. This weighs on me and I am finding it difficult to make art about anything that is not a response to this.

SIMCHAK : The imagery in your work is so rich with symbolism and influences—from botanical and medical etchings, religious icons, historical maps, the natural world, and even mysticism. Some of the pieces from your series, “Voyager,” remind me of William Blake’s etchings. But there is a political and social dialogue in your work as well. Can you talk more about how you explore these issues in your art?
 

MERCHANT: The mass displacement of people, forced migration, and the dislocation and exile of many groups of people all over the world are very troubling to me. Living in Barcelona I have felt very helpless watching the European refugee crisis unfold right on my doorstep. This body of work deals with the profound effect this had had one me.

These works explore the role of water in migration. Water and migration go hand in hand for me, largely due to where I live. Being confronted with the “Shame Counter” daily is a reminder of scale and horrors of this crisis. This digital counter was installed by the mayor of Barcelona and displays the number of known victims who drowned in the Mediterranean in real time. This body of work comes from my own feelings generated by seeing the contrast between my life in this city and what this counter represents.

I see two ways to perceive political statements in a piece of art. The artist may create a piece as a specific political statement, or the artist may create a more universal artwork that resonates with a particular political situation of the time. I strive to make art that is more in the second category. My work is often triggered by a specific event that has taken place and links to more universal ideas relating to that initial feeling as well.
Now more than ever we are seeing a lot of social issues that have lurked just below of the surface bubbling up. This weighs on me and I am finding it difficult to make art about anything that is not a response to this.
 

SIMCHAK : How did you get started in art? What encouraged you to pursue it as a professional career?
 

MERCHANT: I have been artistically inclined from a young age and my parents were always very supportive and encouraging of my need for artistic expression. Both my parents are doctors and although neither of them are artists, art was always a part of the discussion. They would take me to see art exhibitions in the city and really try to educate me and expose me to art. As a child I remember drawing and painting with my mother and always being encouraged to express myself creatively. I always knew I wanted to be an artist. It is not really something I can quantify in words, but there really is nothing else I want to do.

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.

SIMCHAK : This past summer you collaborated with Chloé’s creative director, Natacha Ramsay-Levi and designed some stunning textiles for their clothing line. What was it like to collaborate? How did the experience and process differ from your other works?
 

MERCHANT: This collaboration came out totally by chance. Natacha was browsing the internet and pulling images and she came across my work. She really liked my work and said that it fit what she had in mind for the “painted dresses.” They then just Googled my name and saw that I was living and working in Barcelona and so they sent me an email asking if I wanted to collaborate with them. It was totally out of the blue for me and a very nice surprise! Within a week or two we had chatted on Skype, I had been briefed on the scope of the project and that was it. They invited me to come to the studio in Paris to work with them on the dresses, and so I spent about two weeks there working with Natacha and the rest of the team to place my drawings on the garments.

I really liked Natacha and we got along well. I liked working with her because she is very laid back, but she also knows exactly what she wants. She is super open and was very welcoming to my creative opinions and input too. She is also very clear about her vision, so It was easy to incorporate any feedback she gave me.

The prints I worked on for this collection are filled with lots of esoteric and spiritual symbols and botanical imagery. The prints are much more graphic and bolder than the work I typically make. We also adapted the prints to fit each garment uniquely.

This collaboration was especially different and exciting for me because for the first time, I had the opportunity to take my 2-dimensional drawings and transform them into a 3-dimensional format and see the artwork evolve, become sculptural, and have movement.
 

SIMCHAK : Do you have any favorite books or artists you’re obsessed with right now?
 

MERCHANT: I’m currently reading the last of the four-part series of Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante, which are really gripping. I also recently read and loved “The Secret Lives of Colour” by Kassia St. Clair.
 

SIMCHAK : Newfound journal explores the many layers in which we experience place. What is a place that feels special to you? Is there a place that inspires you in your work?
 

MERCHANT: My parents’ home, which is the home I grew up in in Bombay, feels very special to me. There is something about the light in that house as well as the smell of the rains during the monsoon which I always feel very drawn to.

 

Rithika Merchant deals with creating mosaics of myths that question received histories that are available to us throughout culture. Merchant received her BFA from Parsons the New School for Design in 2008. Born in Bombay, she now divides her time between Bombay and Barcelona. You can see more of Merchant’s work on Instagram @rithikamerchant.