Anoushka Mirchandani's Solo Exhibition Explores Apsara Mythology Through Oil Paintings

San Francisco-based artist Anoushka Mirchandani, originally from India, is presenting a solo exhibition titled 'My Body Was a River Once' at ICA San José. The show, curated by Zoë Latner, focuses on mythological nature spirits known as apsaras, which are shape-shifting deities linked to water and clouds in Southeast Asian traditions. Mirchandani draws from her childhood memories of seeing apsara depictions in the ancient Buddhist caves of Ajanta and Ellora, as well as her South Asian cultural background. Her vibrant oil paintings feature faceless female figures that blend with natural elements like tropical plants, moss, boulders, and streams, with partially transparent flesh. The exhibition explores themes of timelessness, femininity, biophilia, and the interplay between power and vulnerability. Each painting begins with a terracotta red underpainting, inspired by the clay-rich soil of Goa and Maharashtra in India, grounding the works in a sense of home. Notable pieces include 'By the Perequê-Áçu' (2025), 'Rites of Return' (2025), and 'All Us Come Cross The Water'. The exhibition runs through August 23, 2026.