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Mumbai-based artist Rithika Merchant’s solo exhibition, “The Dreaming Realm,” is on view at Galerie LJ in Paris through Nov. 21, 2026. The paintings combine hybrid creatures and mythological imagery with environmental disruption, mysticism and forms of communal care; the gallery describes the research behind the work, while the exhibition’s wider reception and attendance are not established in the source.
Mumbai-based artist Rithika Merchant is presenting “The Dreaming Realm,” a solo exhibition of paintings at Galerie LJ in Paris that brings mythological hybrid figures, natural forces and mystical symbolism into scenes shaped by environmental anxiety and communal care. The exhibition is scheduled to continue through November 21, 2026, according to the gallery and the report by Colossal.
The paintings place human bodies with raptor heads alongside insects, stars, plants and other speculative forms. Colossal describes the works as surreal tableaux in which mythological creatures interact with flora and fauna. Their repeated symmetry and ritual-like arrangements leave the figures’ activities open to interpretation: they may suggest ceremonies, communion with nature or other forms of collective practice, but the source does not identify a single fixed narrative for each image.
Merchant draws on earth, plants, fire, water and stars, setting scenes of eruptions and floods against groups of people engaged in enigmatic activities. The gallery says her references include sensory experience, the Greek concept of Kairos—used to question the subjectivity of time—and research into the medieval Beguines. The gallery describes the Beguines as financially independent Christian women who formed lay communities, some of whose members practiced mysticism.
Symbolism and relationships between species recur across the exhibition. Colossal notes that the luna moth evokes intuition and transformation, while ravens are associated with wisdom, foresight and a connection to other realms. The gallery also links the work to Merchant’s continuing series “Interspecies Care,” whose stated interests include social organization, reciprocity between species and shared knowledge.
How the Paintings Link Ecology and Care
The exhibition connects environmental instability to relationships and collective responses rather than presenting nature only as a backdrop. Floods and eruptions appear alongside figures cooperating in mysterious activities, creating a contrast between volatile natural forces and human determination. The imagery does not prescribe a specific environmental policy or claim to offer a solution; it frames ecological vulnerability through fable-like scenes and questions of interdependence.
That emphasis on shared care gives the work a point of connection to Merchant’s “Interspecies Care” series. According to Galerie LJ, the series examines reciprocity across species and the exchange of knowledge. Bringing that concern into a solo exhibition in Paris also gives visitors a chance to encounter the artist’s mythology, historical research and environmental themes together, rather than as isolated motifs.
mythological hybrid creature wall art
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Research Behind the Mythic Imagery
“The Dreaming Realm” is presented as a new body of work by Merchant, who is based in Mumbai. The exhibition’s stated references range from historical religious communities to ideas about perception and time. Galerie LJ says the artist draws on empirical experience understood through sensory perception, as well as the Greek idea of Kairos, which the gallery says she uses to question how time is experienced.
The Beguines provide another historical reference. They were lay Christian women who lived in communities and could support themselves financially; the gallery says some practiced mysticism. The source identifies this history as part of Merchant’s research but does not claim that the paintings depict particular Beguine communities or historical events. Instead, the exhibition places those references within a contemporary visual language of hybrid beings, ritual and natural cycles.
“The gallery says Merchant draws on “theoretical, historical, and iconographic references,” including sensory perception, the Greek concept of Kairos and research on the Beguines of the Middle Ages.”
— Galerie LJ, as quoted in Colossal
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What the Exhibition Details Do Not Establish
The available report and gallery information do not specify the number of works in the exhibition, their individual titles, the medium of each piece, or whether related events are scheduled. They also do not provide attendance figures, visitor responses or independent critical assessments. Descriptions of symbols such as moths and ravens are interpretive explanations offered in the source, not evidence that every viewer must read them in the same way.
The report does not give further details about the exhibition’s commercial arrangements or what will happen to the works after the Paris presentation. Its confirmed timing is that the show continues through November 21, 2026; no later venue or exhibition date is identified in the supplied material.
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Paris Exhibition Runs Through November
“The Dreaming Realm” is scheduled to remain at Galerie LJ in Paris through November 21, 2026. Readers seeking practical visiting details or updates can check the gallery’s own exhibition information; Colossal also points to Merchant’s Instagram for more about the artist and her work. The source material does not announce a subsequent venue or a further exhibition milestone.
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Key Questions
Where can visitors see “The Dreaming Realm”?
The solo exhibition is at Galerie LJ in Paris, according to the source report.
How long is the exhibition scheduled to run?
It is scheduled to continue through November 21, 2026.
What subjects appear in Merchant’s paintings?
The works bring together hybrid human-animal figures, mythological creatures, insects, stars and natural forces, including floods and eruptions. They also feature groups engaged in activities the source describes as enigmatic or ritual-like.
What is the Beguine reference?
Galerie LJ says Merchant’s research includes the Beguines of the Middle Ages, lay communities of financially independent Christian women, some of whom practiced mysticism. The source does not identify the paintings as depictions of specific Beguine communities.
Has a later exhibition or touring venue been announced?
No subsequent venue is identified in the available source material. The confirmed schedule is the Paris exhibition at Galerie LJ through November 21, 2026.
Source: rss
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