The Threshold of the Ephemeral: An In-Depth Conversation with Surreal Salon 18 Winner River Reishi

In the vibrant, otherworldly atmosphere that defines the annual Surreal Salon at the Baton Rouge Gallery, one work stood out not for its permanence, but for its profound, fleeting presence. Surface Tension, a haunting, luminous sculpture surrounded by a meticulously hand-drawn field of black sand and amber, captivated both the public and the guest juror, the legendary multidisciplinary artist Swoon (Caledonia Curry).

Following her selection as the Best in Show winner for Surreal Salon 18, artist River Reishi sat down to discuss the delicate intersection of myth, environmental fragility, and the audacity required to carve out one’s voice in the contemporary art world.

The Genesis of Surface Tension

Surface Tension serves as a meditation on the liminal—the space between the known world and the mysterious depths beneath the waterline. The sculpture depicts a female figure in the act of breaking through a dark, liquid threshold, hands reaching forward as if to emerge into our reality.

"The piece is about that strange moment between two realms," Reishi explains. "From land, the surface of water looks smooth and transparent, almost empty. 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 work is enhanced by an internal, subtle glow, a technical choice that mirrors the quiet intensity of the subject. Reishi notes that while the gallery’s bright lighting occasionally masked the luminescence, the discovery of the glow upon closer inspection rewarded the viewer with a sense of intimate, quiet surprise. For Reishi, the tension in the work is not merely aesthetic; it is a nod to the geography of the Gulf region. "Water is often a symbol of life, but it also carries danger and power. Louisiana and the Gulf region know that reality very well. I think some of that tension found its way into the work."

The Art of Fragility: Process and Philosophy

Reishi’s practice is defined by a rejection of permanence. The black sand that surrounds the central sculpture is not affixed; it is hand-drawn into intricate, ephemeral patterns. This design choice invites vulnerability into the gallery space.

"I am interested in that fragility, in works that cannot quite stay fixed," she says. "My practice grew out of practical constraints. For a long time, I did not have a large studio, so I had to find ways of making work that could expand into a space temporarily and then disappear again."

This philosophy was put to the test during the Surreal Salon opening night. An attendee accidentally bumped the platform holding the piece, causing the sand to vibrate and the patterns to collapse. Rather than viewing this as a failure, Reishi saw it as an essential reveal. As she sat on the floor, re-drawing the patterns for the audience, the true nature of the medium—its loose, unanchored state—became part of the performance. "The installation only existed in that exact form on that particular night," she reflects. "Everyone there was witnessing something temporary, something that belonged only to that moment in time."

A Juror’s Influence: The Swoon Connection

The selection of Caledonia Curry, known globally as Swoon, as the guest juror for Surreal Salon 18, added a layer of significance to the award. Reishi has long cited Swoon’s career as a guiding light, particularly regarding the artist’s ability to navigate the tension between institutional recognition and public, unauthorized intervention.

"I have admired Swoon’s work for a long time, especially her installations and the way she moves between sculpture, architecture, and public intervention," Reishi notes. She points specifically to the 2009 Swimming Cities of Serenissima project at the Venice Biennale, where Swoon arrived with a fleet of sculptural rafts without formal invitation. "The act of arriving that way, without waiting for institutional permission, became part of the artwork itself. That kind of boldness has always stayed with me."

For Reishi, the opportunity to have her work evaluated by an artist who creates her own mythology—most notably through the Sibylant Sisters project—was a transformative moment. It reinforced the importance of the artist’s "audacity"—the necessity of creating space for one’s own voice, especially as a woman in a field where voices are often curated by others.

The Surreal Salon Experience

The Surreal Salon has earned a reputation as an unofficial kickoff to the Mardi Gras season, characterized by a fusion of high-concept art and elaborate, character-driven costume design. Reishi, who had followed the event from afar for years, found the live experience to be a testament to the power of communal creativity.

"What I did not realize until participating this year was that some people actually design their costumes based on the artwork in the exhibition," she says. Her favorite anecdote of the evening involved a guest who had crafted an entire costume inspired by Surface Tension. "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."

Global Horizons: The Iceland Residency

Looking ahead, Reishi is preparing for a significant transition in her practice. This August, she will be in residence at the Raf Gallery in Reykjavik, Iceland, coinciding with a total solar eclipse on August 12.

The upcoming exhibition will be a direct dialogue with the landscape. Reishi intends to install a new series of works that explore the mythology of Baltic amber, the science of the eclipse, and the interplay of shadow and light. In a nod to her preference for ephemeral art, the installation will utilize sand sourced from the local Icelandic shoreline.

"At the end of the exhibition, I invite the community to dismantle the installation with me," she explains. "We carry the sand back to the ocean and return it with a wish, prayer, or intention." This desire to return materials to their origin reflects a core tenet of her work: that the act of creating is an offering, and the act of letting go is an integral part of the artistic cycle.

Implications: The Evolution of Voice

When asked what the last work was that truly stopped her in her tracks, Reishi points to the figurative ceramics at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City. The spirit and presence of the Mayan ceramics served as a poignant reminder of why she returns to the medium of sculpture time and again.

Her journey, from working in small, constrained spaces to receiving top honors at one of the South’s most prestigious surrealist exhibitions, offers a blueprint for emerging artists. Her success suggests that the most compelling art does not necessarily seek to survive the ages, but to fully inhabit the moment.

As Reishi continues to explore themes of grief, myth, and the feminine through her multidisciplinary lens, she remains committed to the idea that an artist’s voice is found in the courage to speak without waiting for permission. Whether in a gallery in Louisiana, an empty storefront, or on the shores of Iceland, River Reishi’s work invites us to step into the threshold—to acknowledge the danger, the beauty, and the profound, fleeting power of the world beneath the surface.

River Reishi is a multidisciplinary artist whose sculptures and ephemeral sand installations explore myth, grief, and the mysterious threshold between worlds. For more information on her upcoming projects, visit riverreishi.com or follow her on Instagram @riverreishi.