Rithika Merchant is a visual artist from Bombay (Mumbai), India.
Born in Mumbai, she studied at Hellenic International Studies in the Arts in Paros, Greece, before attending Parsons the New School for Design in New York in 2008.
In Merchant’s beguiling paintings on paper, cosmological charts intersect with mythological, hybridized creatures, plant species, constellations, and geometries.
Her work explores both comparative mythology as well as science and speculative fiction, featuring creatures and symbolism that are part of her personal visual vocabulary.
Merchant creates bodies of work that visually link to our collective past as well as imagine possible new worlds which we may come to inhabit.
Her paintings and collages are made using a combination of watercolor and cut paper elements, drawing on 17th century botanical prints and folk art. 
Texture pervades each of the works through mixed mediums, collaged details, and patterns comprised of minuscule dots and lines.
“I’m drawn to works that are rich in symbolism and also have a strong element of storytelling,” says Merchant.
“I love seeing the artist’s hand in the work—I have a huge appreciation for small details and works that draw from a multitude of references — literary, mythical, and visual.”
More of Rithika Merchant‘s earthy and magical paintings can be found at https://www.rithikamerchant.com/.
Humoring the Goddess 
They are structural, colourful, and vividly dramatic, Claudia … for no other reason than that they have same surname, here’s a song from Natalie Merchant …
https://youtu.be/Z-HLxpWGCzc
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