Nana Wu
Introduction: A Haunting Emergence
In the vibrant, otherworldly atmosphere of Baton Rouge Gallery’s Surreal Salon 18, where the boundaries between reality and fantasy dissolve under the influence of elaborate costuming and pop-surrealist ingenuity, one work stood out for its quiet, luminous gravity. Surface Tension, an immersive installation by multidisciplinary artist River Reishi, was awarded Best in Show by guest juror and legendary street artist Caledonia Curry—better known as Swoon.
Reishi’s work, which depicts a figure suspended in the liminal space between the depths of water and the air of our world, captivated attendees and judges alike. As the Surreal Salon served as a de facto opening act for the Mardi Gras season, Reishi’s installation offered a meditative, haunting contrast to the revelry, ultimately claiming the top honor in a highly competitive field.
The Genesis of Surface Tension
The winning piece, Surface Tension, is not merely a sculpture; it is a narrative of transition. The central figure, crafted to appear as if she is breaking the surface of dark, impenetrable water, is surrounded by a sprawling, hand-drawn field of black sand and amber.
“From land, the surface of water looks smooth and transparent, almost empty,” Reishi explains. “But of course, it hides an entire world that is not ours. I have always been fascinated by that threshold. The installation tries to hold that exact moment where the two worlds meet.”
The technical execution of the piece relies on a subtle, internal glow that becomes apparent only as the viewer draws near. This interplay between concealment and revelation is central to Reishi’s practice. By utilizing loose black sand, the artist ensures that the work remains inherently unstable. The intricate, hand-drawn patterns are subject to the slightest environmental vibrations—a fragility that mirrors the artist’s interest in works that defy permanent fixation.
Chronology: From Concept to Accolade
The path to Surreal Salon 18 began for Reishi with a desire to engage with a community she had long admired from afar. While she had followed the salon’s reputation for years, this year marked her first opportunity to live in proximity to the event.
The installation process itself became a transformative experience. Upon arriving at the gallery, Reishi was struck by the caliber of the surrounding work. “When I arrived to install the piece and saw the other works for the first time, I remember thinking how haunting and memorable every single one was,” she recalls. The announcement of her win, she admits, felt "surreal in the truest sense," particularly given the high regard in which she holds the juror, Swoon.
The evening reached a personal zenith when an attendee approached Reishi wearing a costume explicitly designed to mirror her sculpture. “Getting to watch him model it and explain how the sculpture influenced the design completely made my night,” says Reishi. “It felt like the work had briefly stepped out of the gallery and into the room.”
The Juror’s Influence: A Legacy of Boldness
The selection of Caledonia Curry (Swoon) as the guest juror added a layer of profound resonance to the event. Reishi’s artistic trajectory has been deeply influenced by Swoon’s career, particularly the 2009 Swimming Cities of Serenissima project, where the artist navigated a fleet of sculptural rafts into the Venice Biennale without institutional permission.
“That act of arriving… became part of the artwork itself,” Reishi notes. “It is difficult to break into the art world, especially in spaces where voice is carefully selected and curated. Seeing an artist carve out space for herself so creatively was incredibly inspiring.”
This focus on agency—specifically the audacity of women artists to "speak without asking permission"—is a foundational pillar of Reishi’s own identity. She finds similar inspiration in the living mythology of Swoon’s recent Sibylant Sisters project, which encourages artists to create their own symbolic languages. Having the creator of such a legacy validate her own work was a validating, full-circle moment for the artist.
Supporting Data: Process and Methodology
When discussing her creative process, Reishi describes a method born of necessity. Faced with the limitations of small studio spaces early in her career, she developed a practice that relies on modular, ephemeral materials.
“I am not sure I feel comfortable in any single medium, and I think that is probably a good thing,” she states. “I tend to move toward whatever material feels necessary for the idea at hand.” Her work often incorporates sand, light, and organic elements that can be installed, observed, and then returned to the earth.
This commitment to ephemerality is not just a stylistic choice but a philosophical one. Whether she is building temporary altars on the beaches of Washington State or installing intricate exhibits in formal galleries, Reishi prioritizes the "moment" over the "object." Her recent visit to the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City further cemented this focus; the figurative Mayan ceramics she encountered there, which possess a haunting sense of presence and spirit, have served as the latest catalyst for her continued exploration of figurative sculpture.
The Accidental Performance
During the Surreal Salon, the fragility of Reishi’s work was tested in a way that ultimately deepened its meaning. An accidental collision with the exhibition platform caused the sand to shift, destroying the meticulously drawn patterns.
Rather than viewing it as a disaster, Reishi embraced the vulnerability of the moment. She sat beside the installation, repairing the patterns as onlookers watched. The event served as a visceral demonstration of her artistic philosophy: the work was not a static, protected relic, but a living, changing entity. It was, in that moment, a performance of patience and resilience that aligned perfectly with the themes of the piece.
Future Implications: Iceland and the Eclipse
Looking ahead, Reishi’s trajectory continues to gravitate toward themes of celestial and geological transition. This August, she will head to Reykjavik, Iceland, to work with Raf Gallery during the August 12 solar eclipse and the subsequent Menningarnótt festival.
Her upcoming exhibition will explore the mythology of Baltic amber, contrasting it with the rare celestial phenomenon of the eclipse. In a move that defines her practice, she plans to involve the community in the conclusion of the show. “At the end of the exhibition, I invite the community to dismantle the installation with me,” Reishi explains. “We carry the sand back to the ocean and return it with a wish, prayer, or intention.”
This project will bring her back to the source of her inspiration: the black volcanic sands of Reynisfjara. By closing the loop between the gallery space and the natural world, Reishi continues to challenge the commodification of art, insisting instead on its role as a temporary, shared experience.
Conclusion: A Voice Unbound
River Reishi’s win at Surreal Salon 18 is a testament to the power of artistic vulnerability. In a world that often demands permanence and polish, her work offers a refreshing reminder that the most impactful art is often that which is fleeting, transformative, and deeply human. By weaving together the threads of myth, grief, and the elemental forces of nature, she is carving out a unique space in the contemporary landscape—one that is, in every sense, "hauntingly memorable."
As she prepares for her upcoming residency in Iceland, one thing is certain: Reishi will continue to walk the threshold between worlds, inviting us all to witness the beauty of what can only exist for a moment.
River Reishi is a multidisciplinary artist whose sculptures and ephemeral sand installations explore myth, grief, and the mysterious threshold between worlds. Her work can be viewed at riverreishi.com or on Instagram @riverreishi.
Lina Hope
Dwi Wanna
