- 2 weeks ago
Entanglements: Connectivities Across Borders is the title of Mongolia’s contribution to the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. The show features works by the artists Nomin Bold, Gerelkhuu Ganbold, Tuguldur Yondonjamts and Dorjderem Davaa, and has been curated by Uranchimeg Tsultem, and Thomas Eller. In this video, Thomas Eller guides us through the exhibition, sharing insights into the concept, the artists, and their works.
Entanglements: Connectivities Across Borders / Pavilion of Mongolia at Venice Art Biennale 2026. Venice (Italy), May 6, 2026.
Official description:
Featuring multimedia works by four leading Mongolian contemporary artists – Nomin Bold, Gerelkhuu Ganbold, Tuguldur Yondonjamts and Dorjderem Davaa – the Mongolia Pavilion explores the historical and cultural entanglements across Eurasia, where the Mongols were important agents. Drawing on new scholarship in global art history, the pavilion reimagines Mongolia not as a fixed geography but as a dynamic space of exchange, inclusion, and transformation.
Set in Venice – home to 13th-century figures like Marco Polo and Pietro Veglione, who forged key alliances with the Mongols – the pavilion bridges imperial-era networks with today’s climate of division, offering a counter-narrative rooted in shared histories, cross-cultural thinking, and creative resilience.
The four artists, each a celebrated and a prominent voice in Mongolian contemporary art, explore shared themes and concepts, such as cyclicality of life and death, invisible realities, Eurasian mythologies, nomadic cosmologies with the focus on religious tolerance, material exchange, and the porous boundaries between humans, nonhumans and landscapes — values long embedded in Mongolian culture.
The pavilion contributes a vital voice to the Biennale’s theme highlighting Mongolian artists’ role in turbulent times for a connected world.
Entanglements: Connectivities Across Borders / Pavilion of Mongolia at Venice Art Biennale 2026. Venice (Italy), May 6, 2026.
Official description:
Featuring multimedia works by four leading Mongolian contemporary artists – Nomin Bold, Gerelkhuu Ganbold, Tuguldur Yondonjamts and Dorjderem Davaa – the Mongolia Pavilion explores the historical and cultural entanglements across Eurasia, where the Mongols were important agents. Drawing on new scholarship in global art history, the pavilion reimagines Mongolia not as a fixed geography but as a dynamic space of exchange, inclusion, and transformation.
Set in Venice – home to 13th-century figures like Marco Polo and Pietro Veglione, who forged key alliances with the Mongols – the pavilion bridges imperial-era networks with today’s climate of division, offering a counter-narrative rooted in shared histories, cross-cultural thinking, and creative resilience.
The four artists, each a celebrated and a prominent voice in Mongolian contemporary art, explore shared themes and concepts, such as cyclicality of life and death, invisible realities, Eurasian mythologies, nomadic cosmologies with the focus on religious tolerance, material exchange, and the porous boundaries between humans, nonhumans and landscapes — values long embedded in Mongolian culture.
The pavilion contributes a vital voice to the Biennale’s theme highlighting Mongolian artists’ role in turbulent times for a connected world.
Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:08I hope that I can help this year, the Lender Pavillon der Mongolei on the Venedig Biennale
00:14to curate. That was a great thing. It was quite intense in the preparation. And how did it come
00:21to me? It came to me, because I've seen a lot of years in Asia. After six years in China,
00:32I came back to Berlin and tried to keep the connection.
00:39In the last three years, I made a big project with artists in Mongolei in Germany and then also in
00:46Mongolei itself.
00:48We were in the steppe, we had a museum in Ulaanbaatar and then asked the organizers if I could not
00:58help.
00:58That was a nice thing.
01:00In the Lender Pavillon der Mongolei we show four artists, who are in their 30s, 40s.
01:08In the last three years, they are also very famous.
01:13Nomin Bold, for example, was on the Documenta 2000 and, I believe, on the Documenta 12.
01:21Maybe a little bit of a quick look or a quick look at what art is in Mongolei in the
01:29Mongolei.
01:30You must know that the Mongolei until 1924, as the Qing dynasty, also the Manchus,
01:39as they collaborated, could the Mongolei, their own cultural heritage,
01:45and then, I believe, would be able to do it again.
01:46And it was founded by a artist, Manzan Sharaf, a movement, which was modern,
01:54which was also modern, but in the meantime, it was also in the background of the bilderous
02:02I'm thinking English,
02:04which was created in the context of the inventing of the Nomads.
02:10And then, about 10 years later,
02:13was the Mongolei was communist.
02:15And it was not possible,
02:17to deal with its own identity.
02:20In the 90s,
02:23they could do it again.
02:26And what you can see here,
02:28it's very religious and also very Mongolian.
02:31And if I learned something,
02:33then there is a almost unbroken relationship to their own story.
02:41Also, unlike us in Germany.
02:43For us had the Second World War and the Holocaust
02:45so pretty everything was there,
02:46what could still be connected with the famous political problem,
02:52which we have today,
02:54in all the extremes,
02:57there is a sense,
02:59and also a sense of sense.
03:00And that's what we see in the works of artists and artists.
03:03So, here in the beginning,
03:06there are objects from Tuguldur Yondon Yams to see.
03:10Tuguldur is someone,
03:11who has moved very international.
03:15He studied in Germany,
03:16he studied in the United States,
03:17he was a student of Rikret Tiravanija.
03:21And from him we have in the last room
03:25a video work.
03:27And sometimes,
03:28there are some props that he used to use,
03:31to make this film.
03:37This kind of creative clothing,
03:43that is directly on the front of the wall,
03:47on the one hand is King Kong,
03:49on the other hand T-Rex.
03:51And these are stories that Tuguldur
03:55think about nature,
03:59or think about it.
04:01And in different objects,
04:06I must say,
04:08if you look at it,
04:09if you look at it,
04:11you call it Serpent Skin,
04:14also a flower hair,
04:17and you see also a made version
04:20and there is a made version
04:22and there is a made version.
04:23And what you see in the different types of pieces,
04:26are actually
04:28the text that you have first
04:30in the uiguric alphabet
04:33of the Mongolian language,
04:35then in English,
04:37and then in a binary code.
04:39That means,
04:40every point there
04:41represents parts of a binary code
04:45that is actually
04:46with text
04:47and so
04:51there is a remarkable mix
04:53between computer
04:56and nature ethics.
04:58With Tuguldur
04:59it is a kind of a continuum,
05:01that he started
05:02and then he went
05:03one story into the next one.
05:05The video at the end
05:07that we will see
05:08there are two pictures
05:10on the mongolian steppe
05:14and down
05:14on the head
05:16there are pictures
05:18of Patagonia,
05:19so exactly the antipode
05:21between the Mongolei
05:24and there interagies
05:26with his son in the nature
05:27and makes ritual
05:29and then
05:31he takes
05:32and takes
05:33a metaphorical
05:34from the path
05:35and brings him
05:38into the mongolian
05:41into the steppe.
05:43It's about
05:45Transaction
05:46and it's about
05:47and it's about
05:49natural relationships
05:49in Tuguldur.
05:56It's his work.
06:03It's his work.
06:04It's his work.
06:05It's his work.
06:09It's the other three
06:10three Filzpanels.
06:12It's the limit.
06:14It's a kind of
06:17liminal experience.
06:18It's the filter
06:23between this world
06:26and the spiritual world
06:28on the other side.
06:29And the
06:30Perforation
06:31are of course
06:32the places
06:34where it can
06:34go through.
06:36And
06:37that's
06:37of course
06:38deep
06:39in
06:40nomadish
06:41architecture
06:41You live there
06:43in
06:44Filz
06:44which are
06:46so thick
06:46like these.
06:47These are
06:48things that are made
06:49to build gears
06:50also
06:51mongolian
06:52to build
06:53in this way
06:55it's actually
06:57a wall
06:58where you live.
06:59And
07:01you have to
07:03understand
07:04that
07:05you really believe
07:06that
07:07there is a
07:08connection between
07:09this and the other
07:09world.
07:10And
07:10Shamanism is
07:11still alive
07:13and is also
07:14practiced.
07:16And
07:17I was
07:18myself
07:19one,
07:19two times
07:19there was
07:20a young woman
07:21who had a problem
07:23and it was
07:24important
07:25to go to
07:28that
07:29that
07:29something that
07:29has become
07:30a little
07:31unworthy
07:31because we
07:32don't
07:33think about it.
07:33and
07:34and
07:35and
07:36and
07:36and
07:37I think
07:37that
07:37we all
07:38know that
07:40if we
07:41don't
07:42think about it,
07:42it can't work.
07:45Insofern
07:45we live in the West
07:46sometimes in a
07:48metaphysical
07:48area.
07:49and
07:50what
07:51you can
07:51experience
07:52that
07:52there is
07:52that
07:53there is
07:53that
07:53you can
07:53talk about
07:56how
08:01this
08:02relationship
08:03in a
08:05Yurta
08:05a different form
08:08of
08:08community.
08:09The
08:09relationship
08:10between
08:10men and
08:11women
08:11is
08:11much
08:12differently
08:12than
08:13us.
08:14family
08:14together
08:16when
08:17there is
08:17and
08:18you have to
08:20survive.
08:21In the summer
08:21there is
08:22water
08:22there is
08:22there is
08:22everyone
08:27together.
08:29There is
08:29a balance
08:30in the existence
08:32of
08:33communities.
08:34and
08:35so
08:37there is
08:38that
08:39there are
08:40many
08:40artists
08:41who
08:42are
08:42successful
08:44and
08:46not
08:47in
08:48concurrence
08:49together.
08:50I have
08:50also
08:52here
08:52for example
08:53there is not
08:55every artist
08:55his work
08:56but
08:57they
08:57do
08:57the
08:58next
09:01and
09:02and
09:02all
09:02they
09:02help
09:02with.
09:03So
09:03that is
09:04a different form
09:05that is
09:06extremely
09:07exciting.
09:10Let's go
09:11further.
09:13Here
09:14we see
09:14a
09:19Nomin
09:20Bold.
09:20Nomin
09:21was
09:22part of
09:24Documenta
09:24XII.
09:26She
09:27is
09:27a
09:27of
09:28is
09:28so
09:29famous
09:29künstler
09:30in the
09:31brigade
09:32western
09:33what
09:34you see
09:35is
09:35which
09:35a
09:35Buddhist's
09:37month
09:38how you can get them when you go to a Buddhist temple and speak of a monk
09:44in such a small bag.
09:50The buttons are also part of a shamanic use.
09:57It is made up of clothes.
10:00Shamanen always hang their face while they practice.
10:06It is also a connection between shamanic tradition and buddhist tradition.
10:15In Buddhism is not the end of life, but the end of life.
10:22You can see what you see, what you see,
10:28Shamanism or Buddhism,
10:30Shamanism,
10:31in this country,
10:36there are different ideas.
10:38People have three to five Seelen,
10:42in which one or two are dead
10:43and the others live forever.
10:46So it is believed.
10:46And in the exhibition,
10:48in this exhibition,
10:50it is inszenatorically so important,
10:53that you can as a visitor
10:55to this transformation
10:57with.
10:58That means,
10:58one goes through the Shedle
11:00and then on the other side
11:02out in the next part of the exhibition.
11:07It is like a kind of initiation
11:10in that,
11:13what the Mongolian culture does make.
11:15And now we can go here
11:16again.
11:17Let's go on.
11:18Let's go on.
11:19Let's go on.
11:21Let's go on.
11:22Let's go on.
11:26We can see you the new work of Nominbold,
11:29this boat.
11:31She also calls it a transporter.
11:33We know in our west
11:35mythology Seelenboote,
11:39the people from life
11:41into the dead.
11:42That's the place in Egypt,
11:44in the Greek,
11:46everywhere.
11:47And Nomin
11:49greets it on
11:50and you can see,
11:51that certain things
11:53are not so far away
11:54from each other.
11:57And then,
11:58how do we say,
12:01a deep human knowledge
12:05in all...
12:08Wow!
12:09That's so beautiful.
12:11That's so beautiful.
12:12That's how we made for the exhibition.
12:25I want to show you a small piece here.
12:32I wanted to show you a few years ago.
12:32Two years ago,
12:33I invited a few of the artists
12:36and artists
12:36to come to Germany.
12:38We were in South Germany,
12:40in the near of Bamberg.
12:42We had a couple of years
12:43and had lived,
12:44worked,
12:45ate,
12:45and then
12:47Gerichu Ganbold
12:50in my
12:51Dachboden.
12:52This old,
12:52felsene
12:53Werkzeugkiste,
12:54so 100 Jahre old.
12:56And
12:57before we were
12:58in Bamberg
13:01before we were
13:01in Bamberg
13:02in Bamberg.
13:05Or
13:05let's say it so,
13:06Bamberg was a
13:07important city
13:07around 1000
13:08with Kaiser Heinrich.
13:10And
13:10how he made
13:11this city
13:12important?
13:12He made
13:13Reliquian
13:14very many.
13:17Reliquian
13:17were basically
13:17the oil of the Middle Ages,
13:19if you want to say it.
13:20Just like
13:22a capital
13:23with which
13:23you could make a city
13:24big.
13:26And
13:27in the
13:28center of the
13:29Diocesan Museums
13:30are 1000
13:31years old
13:33ceremonial
13:33with
13:34one
13:35with the whole
13:37Zodiac
13:39and
13:40that
13:40was
13:40so
13:43fasziniert,
13:44that
13:45he took
13:45this
13:46mantle
13:46and
13:47painted
13:49with
13:50so
13:51a
13:54Bishop
13:55that
13:55had
13:56a
13:59mongol
13:59in the
14:00hand
14:01and
14:04came
14:05back
14:05and
14:06said
14:06Thomas
14:07the
14:08muster
14:08and so
14:09that is
14:09almost
14:09mongolish
14:10and
14:11in the
14:11Tat
14:12that
14:12are
14:12many
14:15of these
14:17people
14:17were
14:17made
14:18in
14:18the
14:22Arab
14:24and
14:25the
14:26used
14:27was
14:28from
14:30China
14:31so
14:31so
14:31that
14:32the
14:33theme
14:33of the
14:34mongolish
14:34is the
14:36connection
14:36between the
14:37mongolish
14:38and the rest of the world
14:41so to say
14:42and
14:43to show that
14:45you never
14:46really
14:47were
14:47just
14:48no
14:48know
14:49the world
14:52always
14:52was
14:53and
14:54that
14:55shows
14:55the
14:56objects
14:56now
14:59I've talked
15:00about
15:00shamanism
15:01and Buddhism
15:02and there is a very important
15:04source of
15:06mongolish
15:07and that is
15:09Genghis Khan
15:09of course
15:10Genghis Khan
15:11with a mix of
15:13list
15:13and brutal
15:14violence
15:15the
15:15mongolish
15:16clan
15:16united
15:19and
15:20to
15:20keep
15:21the
15:22structure
15:23completely
15:24and
15:25all
15:26in the
15:26land
15:27in
15:27ten
15:28thousand
15:28units
15:30so
15:31modern
15:32actually
15:32there is
15:34even
15:36speculation
15:36that
15:37he could
15:37but
15:39it was
15:41possible
15:44a land
15:46that
15:49was
15:50and
15:51for 150
15:51years
15:52was
15:52there was
15:53a post system
15:54with a horse
15:56in seven to ten
15:57days
15:58from the Chinese
16:00sea to the European border
16:01to the European border
16:02there was
16:03that first paper
16:04and more
16:05such
16:05and Marco Polo
16:07when he wrote his
16:09trip
16:09he was
16:11of course
16:11not at the Kaiser
16:12of China
16:12or say
16:13Kublai Khan
16:14he was
16:16Mongolian
16:17and also
16:17Peking
16:18is
16:18a
16:18mongolian
16:19was
16:19so that
16:20that
16:21that
16:23was
16:23strukturated
16:24was
16:27and
16:27this
16:29great work
16:30of
16:30Gerehu
16:30the
16:31the
16:31the
16:32the
16:32the
16:32the
16:32the
16:33the
16:33the
16:34the
16:36the
16:37the
16:37clue
16:37or the
16:38the
16:38clue
16:38or the
16:39the
16:39the
16:39mir auch später erst aufgegangen ist wenn man diese einzelnen ich sag mal informationsblöcke
16:45so sieht die mit mit pfeilen und linien verbunden sind wie so eine wie ein flowchart heute ist ja
16:56eigentlich so was wie ein modernes mandala ist auch so aufgebaut dass es bestimmte bereiche
17:03gibt in denen bestimmte logiken herrschen das ist erstmal in der mitte des weltgeführt und
17:11dann gibt es in den himmelskreis außen herum und dann gibt es die geisterwelt dahinter hier
17:17ist es anders aufgebaut und man sieht diese ganzen chemischen gleichungen moleküle man
17:24sieht auch wieder ein binärcode man sieht brei schrift und das sieht für mich so aus als
17:33ob das bild einen großen wunsch nach struktur und nach verlässlichkeit ausdrückt und ich
17:41habe ein bisschen gebraucht bis ich gemerkt habe dass man auf den hintergrund schauen muss
17:45dieses rot braune schweren sich brodelnd bewegende fällt da drunter das ist die eigentliche gefahr vor
17:55der diese ganze info grafik gestellt wird um das irgendwie in griff zu kriegen und das hat natürlich
18:03auch viel mit dem leben in der heutigen mongolei zu tun die was auch nicht stabil ist in den letzten
18:11neun monaten gab es drei regierungen in der mongolei entsprechend schwierig war auch die vorbereitung
18:17länder pavillons weil man immer wieder mit neuen leuten reden musste aber ich bin sehr froh dass die
18:24ausstellung dann so schön zusammengekommen ist dass man auch einen guten einblick in die hintergründe
18:33der mongolei haben kann kann kann alexander
18:37old timzeys the curator of the show we've been working closely together in the past
18:44couple of months to make this all happen
18:50we had an interest in collaboration and way voted to see everything coming together now and
18:58And I think we both are very excited about the works of the artists we have here.
19:03I think these are brilliant works and I'm happy to be showing them in the business.
Comments