Ruhee Maknojia

Magicalscapes is a series of paintings that utilize vibrant heritage-based patterns to connect ordinary moments of modern life with concepts of philosophy, history, and storytelling. This particular collection of paintings explores mundane moments from contemporary life using Eastern storytelling traditions. Each painting is adorned with historically significant patterns influenced by Asian and American textile cultures, creating a narrative experience where decorative elements actively participate in the storytelling process.

The paintings delve into the visual possibilities that arise when tales like “The Case of the Animals versus Man” by Ikhwân al-Safâ unfold in the present day. It explores possible relationships that can form between literary masterpieces originating from Eastern fables and the current visual art space. Traditionally, these fables often contained themes such as caring for nature, questioning social power structures, and combating the dissemination of falsehoods. This oeuvre examines how medieval fables from the continent of Asia continue to convey wisdom that transcends its cultural and geographical origins.

“The Conference of the Birds,” written by the Persian poet Attar of Nishapur in the 12th century, is a mystical and allegorical epic poem that explores the spiritual journey of a group of birds seeking their divine king, the Simurgh. Each bird represents a different facet of human nature and spirituality, and their quest involves overcoming various obstacles and inner struggles. Ultimately, the poem serves as a metaphor for the individual’s search for unity with the divine, highlighting the challenges, self-discovery, and transformation that one must undergo on the path to spiritual enlightenment. The birds’ journey culminates in a revelation that the Simurgh is within themselves, emphasizing the idea that the divine is present within every soul, and the quest for truth is a journey inward.

The painting titled “Conference of the Birds” reimagines the bird Hoopoe’s traditional mystical journey through seven valleys in a contemporary setting. In this modern landscape, Hoopoe encounters elements of the modern world, such as airplanes soaring through the sky. The reflection and inner contemplation, central to the poem’s themes, are symbolized not by gazing into water but by the reflections found on TV screens. This reinterpretation bridges the ancient allegory with the challenges and influences of contemporary society, highlighting how the timeless quest for spiritual enlightenment can take on new forms in a modern world.

“Creature in the Dark” is a story from the poet Jalal al-Din Rumi’s “Mathnawi.” In this story, travelers from India present a peculiar creature at an exhibition. They lead a group of people who have never encountered an elephant into a dark tent. Each person touches a different part of the animal, and their descriptions vary wildly; the person touching the tail thinks it’s like a serpent, while the one feeling the leg perceives it as a tree trunk. This leads to heated arguments among the visitors, each convinced their interpretation is the sole truth. However, in the absence of light, symbolizing knowledge, they remain entrenched in disagreement instead of grasping the bigger picture of reality. It’s only when light is introduced into the tent that they can finally see the whole elephant, a unique entity, and recognize that none of their previous descriptions captured its true nature.

In an age where information is easily accessible, Rumi’s story is a poignant reminder that information is not the same as knowledge. The painting explores ideas of enlightenment and how reality and perceived reality can vary greatly.

“The Case of the Animals Versus Man Before the King of the Jinn” is a painting that weaves together elements from a 10th-century Iraqi fable with the same title. This patterned filled painting draws inspiration from an ecological narrative in which animals unite to bring a collective lawsuit against mankind, accusing them of the mistreatment and exploitation of nature.

Through its imagery, the painting explores how the thinkers and storytellers of the 10th century conveyed their concerns regarding environmentalism and sustainability. It serves as a testament to the enduring significance of these timeless themes, resonating with the contemporary context of the present moment. Amid the pressing global concern of climate change, the painting stands as a poignant reminder that the worries and insights expressed in fables from distant eras continue to hold relevance and offer valuable lessons for contemporary audiences.

This painting, created in collaboration with Comcast, commemorates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It explores the fascinating concept of how print images originating from Asia can assimilate into the American landscape, giving rise to fresh forms, shapes, and points of connection within our interconnected, globalized digital media-driven world.

The painting draws inspiration from the timeless tale of Kalīla wa-Dimna, exploring how its characters, objects, and landscapes could unfold in a modern context. Kalīla wa-Dimna is a collection of fables, comprising fifteen chapters filled with numerous stories featuring animal protagonists. Notably, the lion assumes the role of a king, accompanied by his loyal servant ox named Shetrebah. Meanwhile, the two jackals, Kalīla and Dimna, serve as both narrators and central figures in the tales. The origins of this collection can be traced back to the Sanskrit Panchatantra, and its popularity has led to translations in numerous languages.

“The Dot” is a series of 13 paintings and collages that developed around a conversation about culture and evolved to a place of scientific theory.

The painting series started from a discussion about the bindi. The word bindi comes from the Sanskrit word Bindu which roughly translates as dot. A bindi is a dot applied to the center of the forehead worn most often by Hindus in the Indian subcontinent. There are multiple cultural and religious meanings, interpretations, and understandings about what the bindi signifies. However, one interpretation that drove the series of paintings forward is “the bindi acts as a dot around which the mandala is created, representing the universe.”

The journey of connecting the dot to the universe led the project beyond the Indian subcontinent to Georges Lemaître’s scientific theory of the Big Bang. Georges Lemaître first noted in 1927 that an expanding universe could be traced back in time to a single originating point, which he called the “primeval atom,” which disintegrated in an explosion, giving rise to space and time and the expansion of the universe that continues to this day.

The Dot series becomes a play between trying to visualize an abstract philosophical concept and visualizing an abstract scientific theory. Both ideas are conceptual and challenging to grasp in a visually concrete method.

The following paintings were made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series explores the time period following the World Health Organization’s declaration of the virus as a pandemic. As these months were obscured in uncertainty about how the pandemic would evolve, the paintings are ungrounded, in an environment of unpredictability, variability, and precariousness.The paintings do not attempt to make an ideological statement or tell an audience what to do. Instead, the images capture a moment when masked characters carrying on about their business become symbols of a particular time and era within American history.

A collection of oil and acrylic paintings created from 2015 – 2018 that question and explore borders that are enforced by the natural landscape verses borders created by negotiations, war, and factions.