In her new solo exhibition “Festival of the Phoenix Sun”, @rithikamerchant proposes a syncretism of traditional narratives based on Egyptian, Roman, Aztec mythologies, shamanic and animist cults, Buddhist rites, and 15th-century European cartography. 📷 "BENNU AND FUTURAHELIOPOLIS", 2021, 100x70cm, Gouache, watercolour and ink on paper. Bennu is an ancient Egyptian deity linked with the Sun, creation, and rebirth. According to Egyptian mythology, Bennu was a self-created being said to have played a role in the creation of the world. Bennu is usually depicted as a large grey heron. Aton, Ra and Bennu were worshiped at Heliopolis ("City of the Sun" in Greek), a major city of ancient Egypt and a major religious centre (today a northeastern suburb of Cairo). "101955 Bennu" is also the name of an asteroid that could potentially impact Earth between the years 2169 and 2199, bringing an end to life on our planet. . . . . #rithikamerchant #galerielj #festivalofthephoenixsun