Digital Exhibition ‘Epiphanies’ by Najah Rizvi
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
About The Artist
Rizvi is an interdisciplinary artist and writer currently working with performance, drawing and photography. Drawing from the subconscious, her latest works are an exploration of mark making and symbolism through expressions in mixed media. Through her residency in Lahore, Pakistan (February, 2024), Rizvi formulated the style and artistitic process which went into Epiphanies.
"The visual language I am developing now has come out of my attempts to draw from my subconscious. It's an honest expression, quite removed from the conceptualisations I was formulating in London. I like thinking from this place, I believe that the symbols and colours are communicating intuitively and it's far more accessible to the audience I want to speak to, namely the global majority."
Rizvi continues to argue that Epiphanies is a collection of drawings, not paintings, despite the use of wet mediums. Between brightly coloured shapes are mysterious glyphs derived from lost memories of ancient scripts.
"I made the gouache myself, with vibrant pigments, I see my works as drawings. I receive the colours, shapes, letters and lines like sudden visions, this is where the word epiphany becomes
relevant. It's very different to the way that I've drawn before. I learned this from my friends at Mantiq of the Mantis in Lahore "
Xeno’s Review
The paintings by Rizvi are a profound journey into the realms beyond our material existence. Created in a meditative, spiritual state, each piece is an invocation of the spirit, a direct communication with the unseen forces that shape our reality. The boldness of the colours and forms is merely the surface; beneath it lies a deep connection to other dimensions, where the veil between worlds thins, bridging the gap between the conscious and subconscious, the known and the unknown.
The symbols here are portals, blending intricate symbolism and guiding the viewer through a spiritual exploration. On the surface you can see figures in hollow spaces, bold colourful energies engulfing them and cryptic lettering allowing us to take in the hybridity of art and abstract meaning in these paintings.
The presence of symbols in these works is not merely decorative, it is an invitation; the more the viewer is well immersed with esoteric knowledge the more they unlock from the images crafted by Rizvi. Much like in the imagery in Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot deck, both Crowley and this artist channel archetypal energies, colours that represent the elemental energies of earth, fire, water and air.
In these paintings, the artist becomes both a creator and a conduit, offering us a rare opportunity to connect with the mystical forces that underlie all creation. Each piece is a testament to the power of art as a medium for spiritual awakening, inviting us to step beyond the material and into the sacred.