Some of the most imaginative creatures in Philadelphia right now live in Gallery 321 of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Legendary Futures, now on view through March 31, 2027, gathers five works that showcase contemporary visions of extraordinary creatures, and it is free with museum admission.
Paintings by Bhajju Shyam and Ram Singh Uruveti narrate specific, long-shared stories of the Gond communities of India, recast through a contemporary lens. Other pieces by Jangarh Singh Shyam, Mayank Shyam and Ai Weiwei portray marvelous animal life by layering the mythology of India and China onto present-day artistic practices. The exhibition’s signature image, Mayank Shyam’s Origin of Life from 2011, hints at the wonder waiting inside: animals, spirits and stories woven into a single teeming world.
It is a small show with a big idea. Together, these works prove the timelessness of activating the imagination, of the stories communities tell to explain where life comes from and how humans fit among animals. For families, it is a gentle doorway into Gond art, one of India’s richest folk traditions, and into the shared language of myth across cultures.
Legendary Futures is on view in the museum’s Main Building through March 31, 2027, and members are always free. Bring a young storyteller and let them invent the next chapter.
Photo: Philadelphia Museum of Art
