BATON ROUGE, LA — In the contemporary art world, permanence is often equated with value. Galleries trade in bronze, treated wood, archival paper, and varnished canvases designed to withstand the decay of time. Yet, multidisciplinary artist River Reishi is building a celebrated practice out of the exact opposite: fragility, transience, and materials that refuse to remain fixed.
Reishi was recently named the Best in Show winner for Surreal Salon 18 at the Baton Rouge Gallery, a prestigious annual exhibition selected this year by renowned guest juror and multidisciplinary artist Caledonia Curry, widely known as Swoon. Reishi’s winning installation, Surface Tension, immediately captivated judges and attendees alike, serving as a masterclass in atmospheric sculpture, tactile storytelling, and temporal art.
Following her victory, Reishi sat down to discuss the genesis of her winning piece, the community-driven energy of the Surreal Salon, her admiration for Swoon, and an upcoming international residency in Reykjavik, Iceland, timed to coincide with a total solar eclipse.
Main Facts: Surface Tension and the Triumph at Surreal Salon 18
The centerpiece of Reishi’s success in Baton Rouge is Surface Tension, a multi-sensory sculpture and site-specific installation that explores the threshold between the terrestrial and the aquatic.
The Winning Artwork:Surface Tension depicts a haunting female figure emerging from dark waters, her hands reaching forward as if breaking through the surface to step directly into the viewer’s space. Half-submerged and suspended between two distinct realms, the sculpture glows faintly from within—a subtle, hidden illumination that reveals itself only as viewers draw close.
The Materials: The physical figure is anchored by an ephemeral field of loose black sand and amber, hand-drawn into intricate, delicate patterns. Because the sand is unglued and unfixed, the entire field is subject to atmospheric changes, foot traffic, and minor vibrations.
The Juror:Surreal Salon 18 was adjudicated by Swoon (Caledonia Curry), a pioneer in street art, large-scale installations, and socially engaged public sculpture.
The Recognition: Out of a fiercely competitive field of contemporary surrealist works from across the country, Swoon selected Reishi’s piece for the exhibition’s highest honor, praising its atmospheric depth and conceptual rigor.
Chronology: From Studio Constraints to the Baton Rouge Gallery
To understand Reishi’s artistic vocabulary is to understand how practical limitations can be forged into intentional aesthetic choices.
The Evolution of an Ephemeral Practice
Reishi’s career as a sculptor and installation artist did not begin in a sprawling warehouse or a lavishly funded university studio. For years, she worked under severe spatial constraints, lacking a large permanent studio to store bulky, permanent monuments.
Rather than letting these limitations stifle her output, she leaned into them. She began exploring materials that could expand into an architectural space temporarily—transforming a room for the duration of an exhibition—and then vanish without a trace. Sand, modular sculptural elements, and organic, raw materials became the foundational building blocks of her practice. Over time, this transient nature evolved from a logistical workaround into the central philosophical core of her work.
The Surreal Salon Experience
When Reishi heard about the Surreal Salon through the pop-surrealist community, she knew she wanted to participate, particularly as she relocated close enough to experience the event in person. Widely celebrated in the region as an unofficial kickoff to the Mardi Gras season, the opening night of the Surreal Salon is famous for its otherworldly atmosphere, theatrical costumes, and celebratory energy.
However, Reishi experienced a moment that blurred the boundary between art and audience in a way few artists ever witness. "What I did not realize until participating this year was that some people actually design their costumes based on the artwork in the exhibition," Reishi shared. "At one point, someone came up to me wearing a costume inspired by my piece, and getting to watch him model it and explain how the sculpture influenced the design completely made my night. It felt like the work had briefly stepped out of the gallery and into the room!"
The Accidental Revelation
The night held another, more dramatic surprise. Early in the evening, a visitor accidentally backed into the low platform holding Surface Tension. The platform shifted, the sand vibrated, and a large portion of the hand-drawn patterns dissolved.
While the visitor was fortunately uninjured, the accident revealed a fascinating truth about the installation. Many gallery-goers had initially assumed the black sand and amber field was fixed, glued, or painted securely in place. When the medium suddenly shifted, its loose, fragile nature became starkly apparent.
Rather than panicking, Reishi sat quietly beside her piece and meticulously repaired it, re-drawing the intricate patterns by hand while curious attendees watched. For Reishi, this mishap encapsulated the very spirit of her work: nothing lasts forever, and art is often defined by its vulnerability.
Supporting Data: Influences, Mediums, and Artistic Philosophy
Reishi’s work draws heavily from mythology, folklore, feminine water deities, and the psychological weight of the natural world.
The Influence of Water and Regional Tension
Water has long held a dual symbolism in human culture: it is the fundamental giver of life, yet it carries immense, destructive power. Reishi notes that residents of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast understand this duality on a visceral level, making Baton Rouge an especially resonant place to exhibit Surface Tension.
"From land, the surface of water looks smooth and transparent, almost empty. But of course it hides an entire world that is not ours," Reishi explains. "The installation tries to hold that exact moment where the two worlds meet."
Finding Inspiration in Mexico City
When asked about recent artistic experiences that forced her to stop in her tracks and return to the studio, Reishi points not to a contemporary gallery opening, but to ancient history.
During a recent visit to the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City, she was utterly mesmerized by the museum’s galleries of figurative ceramics from various regions of Mexico. In particular, the Mayan ceramics left her breathless. "There is so much spirit in them, such a sense of presence," she noted, recounting how a single ancient ceramic face affected her so deeply that she returned to view it multiple times.
The Legacy of Swoon
Reishi’s reverence for guest juror Swoon runs deep, rooted in a shared appreciation for artists who carve out their own spaces without waiting for institutional permission. Reishi first encountered Swoon’s work in 2009, when the artist navigated Swimming Cities of Serenissima—a fleet of handmade sculptural rafts—into the formal, heavily regulated waters of the Venice Biennale.
"The act of arriving that way… became part of the artwork itself," Reishi says. "That kind of boldness has always stayed with me. 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."
Furthermore, Reishi sees a kindred spirit in Swoon’s recent Sibylant Sisters project, which leans heavily into oracle cards and living mythology. Because Reishi’s own sculptures are deeply rooted in myth and narrative, she feels a profound connection to artists who invent their own symbolic languages for audiences to inhabit.
Official Responses and Perspectives on Artistic Voice
As a woman navigating the contemporary fine art world, Reishi is acutely aware of the obstacles surrounding the emergence of artistic voice.
"Voice is an interesting concept to me as a woman, because women often face particular obstacles when it comes to the emergence of voice," Reishi reflects. "It takes a certain measure of audacity to say something and commit it to art. In a way, you are asking the world to listen. Because of that, I am especially inspired by women who make art without asking permission."
This ethos directly informs her preference for alternative exhibition spaces. While her sculptures and installations have successfully populated traditional white-cube galleries, regional museums, empty storefronts, and civic buildings, Reishi holds a special fondness for the natural world—particularly coastlines.
Recalling her time living near the sea in Washington State, she described gathering with friends to build temporary altars from driftwood, shells, flowers, and plants as offerings to the incoming tide. As the water slowly reclaimed the materials, a profound sense of closure and collective creation was achieved.
"There is something very special about building something together that only exists for that one night," she notes.
Implications: Looking Ahead to Reykjavik and the Solar Eclipse
With her Surreal Salon 18 victory cementing her status as a rising force in contemporary installation art, Reishi’s calendar for the remainder of the year points toward ambitious international projects.
The Iceland Residency
This August, Reishi will travel to Reykjavik, Iceland, for an intensive residency and exhibition with Raf Gallery. The timing of the residency coincides with two monumental events: a total solar eclipse passing directly over Reykjavik on August 12, and Menningarnótt (Culture Night), the city’s massive annual arts and culture festival.
Raf Gallery is uniquely positioned, working with both contemporary fine art and Baltic amber jewelry. Reishi has long been fascinated by amber—both for its physical properties and its rich mythological associations as fossilized tree resin containing ancient history.
Bridging Myth and Celestial Events
For her Reykjavik exhibition, Reishi plans to install a major sculpture and sand installation that weaves together multiple narratives:
The Myth of Baltic Amber: Exploring ancient folklore regarding the origins of amber.
Eclipse Mythology: Reflecting on the profound psychological and historical relationship between darkness and light.
Local Geographies: Utilizing sand sourced directly from the local Icelandic shoreline—a nod to the black sand beaches of Reynisfjara that heavily inspired her early installation work.
In keeping with her philosophy of shared, ephemeral art, the exhibition will not simply close with the gallery packing up crates. At the conclusion of the show, Reishi will invite the local community to actively help dismantle the installation. Together, participants will carry the sand back to the ocean, returning it to the water accompanied by individual wishes, prayers, or intentions.
A Legacy in Motion
River Reishi’s win at Surreal Salon 18 is more than just a trophy for a mantelpiece; it is validation for a practice that values presence over permanence. By treating art as an event rather than a commodity, she invites viewers to step past the surface tension of everyday life and enter a liminal space where myth, nature, and human vulnerability intersect.
As she prepares to take her sand, amber, and light beneath the shadow of an Icelandic solar eclipse, Reishi continues to prove that the most powerful artistic statements are often the ones destined to wash away with the tide.
To learn more about River Reishi’s upcoming projects, view her portfolio, or explore her sculptural works, visit riverreishi.com or follow her on Instagram at @riverreishi.
