Rajni Perera & Marigold Santos, Efflorescence/The Way We Wake

The macLYON presents, for the first time in France, an exhibition of works by Rajni Perera and Marigold Santos, two prolific artists on the Canadian art scene.
Perera's origins are Sri Lankan and Santos is of Filipino heritage. Both artists are marked by the experience of immigration at an early age and they have many concerns in common: motherhood and feminism, exile, rebirth, myths, the natural and the spiritual world, to name of few. They met in 2020, and immediately recognised aesthetic and conceptual affinities in each other, a bond between kindred spirits. Not long after they began to collaborate.

Conceived as a duo exhibition, Efflorescence/The Way We Wake speaks to the artists' personal experiences and research into their respective cultural heritages. It showcases recent paintings, drawings and sculptures produced by each artist between 2019 and 2024, as well as a new joint work at macLYON, to further highlight the strength of their artistic connection.

First presented at PHI in Montreal in 2024, the exhibition travelled to Contemporary Calgary (Canada) in 2025. The exhibition is part of macLYON's ongoing artistic programme, which aims to give greater visibility to women artists.

Curators: Cheryl Sim, Executive Director and Curator at PHI, together with Marilou Laneuville, Head of exhibitions and publications at macLYON