Eight days to go! Over the last few weeks, we have been highlighting the 30 mid-career artists shortlisted as finalists for The 2021 Sovereign Asian Art Prize – the 17th edition of Asia’s most prestigious prize for contemporary artists. Selected from a record number of over 700 entries, the finalists hail from 17 countries and regions across Asia-Pacific. Of the artists, 28 are completely new to The Prize – appearing in our shortlist for the first time. Read on to discover more about our finalists, their key points of inspiration, and why it is important to champion the work of artists from Asia-Pacific.  

Rithika Merchant (India) was shortlisted for her work Saudade – a work that uses symbolism to form a personal visual vocabulary and reflect on a more primordial time, searching for answers in nature.

What initially drew you to mythology and primordial imagery as inspiration?

My interest in myths began when I read Joseph Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces. The book really opened my eyes to the universality of the human experience and how it informed many myths. 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 form 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.  

In the past art and stories were often a way to make sense of natural phenomena and psychological events. In modern times and for the foreseeable future, science gives us a complete explanation for most things. However, it places humans as part of a greater scheme rather than the centre of our own narrative. As much as science gives a more accurate description of humanity it takes away the spiritual power given to every human to understand their own destiny. Myth making brings humanity back to the centre of concern.

What is the significance of creating folds on the surface of your artwork?
I like to refer to the folds on my paintings as the architecture of the artwork, or the scaffolding that I build each piece on. I usually fold the paper before I begin drawing and it serves as a guide for the parts of the piece I want to draw attention to, or sections I want to colour block. I usually make the folds to go along with the composition of the art work. I also like the textured, almost quilted effect it gives the piece. After I finish the painting I fold it back up along the same creases to store it. Often, I am able to fold it into some sort of smaller geometric shape, and the paintings then turns into an object. In this way, the paper itself is part of the narrative.

You recently did a collaboration with fashion brand Chloe – what was this experience like for you?

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 2 weeks there working with Natacha and the rest of the team to place my drawings on the garments.

I really enjoyed working with the entire team at Chloe. I’m so used to working alone all day in my studio, so it was a nice change to be part of the team and work on a creative idea together. It was also very interesting to learn about the process and to see everything that goes into the making of a collection. It’s amazing to see how much thought and work goes into each piece. The paintings I worked on for this collection are filled with lots of esoteric and spiritual symbols and botanical imagery. Hands, eyes, roots, leaves. Lots of organic shapes which flow together. It was interesting and exciting to take my 2 dimensional drawings and transform them into a 3 dimensional format. Seeing the artwork evolve, become sculptural and have movement.

How important is it to support the work of artists from Asia-Pacific?

I think it’s important to support artists everywhere, especially in these particularly difficult times. The Asia – Pacific region in particular, is a very culturally diverse region – initiatives like The Sovereign Asian Art Prize really help to amplify the voice and bring patronage to artists who may not have had a chance to be represented on the global stage.

To vote for Merchant’s work, click here. The most popular finalist will receive the Public Vote Prize and USD1000.

To bid on Merchant’s work in our charity auction, click here. Proceeds will be spilt equally between the artist and our charitable programmes.

Want to learn about our other finalists? Tune in tomorrow for Ross Taylor‘s interview…