Ritual by Eleonor Andersson in New York

“Ritual” is a 72x60 inch multimedia painting exploring the internal self through a scene in which a mysterious ceremony is undertaken in a fantastical setting. It investigates the relationship between the anatomical body and the psychological realm, employing layering and materiality to convey their disparate components. The scene is set against a light green backdrop. Cryptic figures, painted in high-gloss dripping black and gold acrylic, encircle a semi-deconstructed anatomical form stripped away to reveal skeleton and flesh. The cloaked figures blur together, their bases spreading like roots and mirroring the winding grey branches painted above in oil. From beneath their otherworldly cloaks, gold rings emerge at their heads, and winding tubes of the same material extend from their chests. Each tube connects to the skull of the suspended body, symbolizing the separation of the physical anatomical components from the ethereal life force, psyche, or soul.