Surrey Art Gallery reimagines global myth in new exhibit
Mustaali Raj’s Across the Fire will be on display at the gallery until May 3
Across the Fire is a visual exploration of identity and cultural intersections. (Mahaveer Singh)
Vancouver-based visual artist Mustaali Raj’s immersive three-channel video installation will be on display at the Surrey Art Gallery until May 3.
Across the Fire reimagines the dragon as a shared myth moving across cultures, histories, and geographies.
Drawing on a range of visual traditions, Raj’s work transforms familiar depictions of the dragon into a contemporary visual language using vivid colours and bold geometric patterning. The exhibit invites viewers to consider how myths evolve over time — shaped by migration, storytelling, and cultural exchange.
The exhibition came about after the gallery’s Assistant Curator Jas Lally invited Raj to exhibit his work at the gallery.
At its core, Across the Fire is an exploration of identity and cultural intersections. Rather than presenting identity as fixed, Raj emphasizes the fluidity of lived experience.
“We often find ourselves falling into labels, or categories especially when it comes to identity,” Raj wrote in an email statement to The Runner. “Most of us [are] in the in-between spaces or the intersections of identity as I like to call it. And this multitude of being is what makes our lived experience so beautiful and interesting.”
Raj added that this idea extends to the dragon itself. While western and East Asian interpretations of the creature are widely recognized, he wrote Indo-Persian narratives, which are less commonly represented, are often left out.
“I deconstructed these visuals and re-designed them in my visual style drawing from cultures I connect with.”
The exhibit allows multiple forms of the dragon to exist and interact simultaneously, reinforcing the idea of multiplicity.
“I wanted my artwork to have a larger visual impact and also to further build upon the [three] dragons/regions showcased in the work,” Raj wrote.
Movement and transformation play a central role in the installation, particularly in the transitions between forms.
Raj also reflects on how myths, which carry symbolism, history, and hidden narratives, function across cultures, evolving over time while retaining traces of their origins.
“It’s not unlike language in many ways, how the origins get blurred over time. Sometimes retaining their original meaning, sometimes taking on new roles depending on the audience/era.”
Ultimately, Raj hopes the exhibition encourages viewers to reflect on shared cultural connections. He adds that while the dragon is a shared entity, it might take different forms and meanings across cultures.
“I hope the audience can see the fluidity with each form [flowing] into one another, just like the stories we narrate and share,” he wrote.
Raj will host a Thursday Artist Talk on Thursday from 7:00 to 8:30 pm entitled Movements of the Dragon, where he will discuss his exhibit at the gallery. For more information, visit www.bit.ly/4sNpVfF.
