Mongolia represented at 2nd Yinchuan Biennale
The Yinchuan Biennale kicked off on June 9 and is wrapping up on September 19. The exhibition was hosted for the first time in 2016 and is being hosted for the second time this year at the MOCA Yinchuan. Though the biennale was created fairly recently, it is growing to become one of the top in Asia alongside the Shanghai Biennale.
Working as the chief curator is Marco Scotini, head of the Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies Department at the New Academy of Fine Arts. This year’s biennale is hosted under the theme of “Starting from the Desert - Ecologies on the Edge”, where artworks of 90 artists from over 30 countries are being showcased.
Representing Mongolia at the exhibition are T.Enkhbold, B.Baatarzorig and B.Nomin. Highlights of the Mongolian artists’ work include a piece by B.Baatarzorig. The artist had found an old damaged boat whilst traveling a Chinese village and renovated the vessel. He drew the Mongolian symbols of air, land, sky, clouds, and flying horses in blue paint on the sail and a new creation of art was born.
B.Nomin had created a painting using the Mongolian traditional method which depicts modernization of Mongolia and environmental issues.
T.Enkhbold also presented a moving art piece. Prior to the event, he had put his design of a Mongol ger in a saddle and exhibited it in many places, starting in Tuv Province and all the way to Korea’s Jeju Island, Finland’s Potterdam, England’s Manchester and Italy’s Venice.
Throughout his travel across Asia and Europe, T.Enkhbold would set up his ger next to highways or the beach and lay inside it. He would follow Mongolian traditions throughout his voyage and put drops of milk on his forehead and turn the rock that was tied to the toono (the roof and window of a Mongolian ger) upside down. In doing so, the artist received much negative feedback from Mongolians and foreigners alike. Many believed that the action was an attempt to gain attention.
The artist was inspired by the feedback and his new work illustrates his experience with a stranded ger alongside the backdrop of upside down mountains. Displayed in this way, the artwork has received a lot of attention from those viewing the biennale.