XanaduART gallery is proud to present Enkhbold Togmidshirev’s solo exhibition “Mining in the Mind”.

In his latest work, Enkhbold uses a variety of atypical materials to create vast, abstract and generally monochrome canvases that are somehow reminiscent of the Mongolian landscape. Each “painting” is unique in terms of technique: in one piece, a large piece of cloth is sewn onto the canvas and painted over, in another, the artist has used crushed horse dung instead of paint, a third piece is made with ashes, and still another one uses powdered metal. The use of such unconventional materials creates a quite mesmerizing textured effect, which endows their abstract composition with a very personal character.

Man’s ambivalent relationship with nature has always been an important theme for Enkhbold. Most pieces emphasize the duality of this relationship, as the artist puts together a light canvas with a dark one, juxtaposing the two in terms of color and texture. This juxtaposition can be extended even further – tradition vs. modernity, nomadism vs. consumerism, subsistence economy vs. intensive mining, etc. For those who are interested to hear more about his work, Enkhbold will give a presentation on Saturday, July 9 between 3 and 5 p.m.

Born in 1978, Enkhbold graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia with a painting degree in 2005. This is Enkhbold’s first solo exhibition as a XanaduART gallery artist.

For more information, please contact the gallery at 976-11-310239 or e-mail info@xanaduartgallery.org.

Dalkh-ochir, a pioneer of contemporary Mongolian art, is an artist who has profoundly influenced the shape of the Mongolian art scene today. In the 1980s, his early works, which focused on the previously taboo elements of Mongolian history, such as the legend of “The He-Wolf and Beautiful Deer” (“Borte Chono and Goo Maral”), the mythical progenitors of Mongolian race, gained widespread attention. In the following years, he introduced many new media to the younger generation of artists by working with installations, performances, land art, etc.

In his paintings, Dalkh-ochir often employs the techniques of Mongolian traditional painting, or Mongol zurag, which is characterized by its lack of perspective and flatness of representation. In addition, Dalkh-ochir’s work frequently alludes to the cave paintings found in various parts of Mongolia. The series of paintings entitled “Messages” (2007) employ these techniques to juxtapose the past with the present, while the very name “Messages” invokes both the shamanistic notion of spiritual connection between man and nature as well as the more prosaic reality of modern means of communication (the individual pieces are named after the text messages the artist received while working on them).

Dalkh-ochir was born in 1958. He graduated from the Sculpture department of the Institute of Fine Arts (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) in 1979, and from the Oil painting department of the Ulaanbaatar Teacher’s College in 1988. Dalkh-ochir’s work has been extensively exhibited both in Mongolia and abroad; most recently, he has participated in the Third Guangzhou Triennial. A founding member of “Green horse” modern art association, Dalkh-ochir has led the “Blue sun” contemporary art group, an arts collective with a contemporary art focus since 2002. He currently lives and works in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

RECENT WORKS:

Bazo’s recent work centers upon the idea of eternal motion and reincarnation as symbolized by the form of the circle, an essential image both in the nomadic philosophy of the Mongols and Buddhism. In this sense, the circle has multiple meanings in Bazo’s work – it is at once a representation of Mongolian history through the millennia, a personal quest for meaning as well as an artistic element full of possibilities. Thus, the artist approaches his subject in various different ways: he paints multi-colored circles on canvases, creates intricate wooden “wheels” or draws circumferences on the ground using odd archaic constructions made of logs, ropes and stones. Bazo’s circles provoke a variety of associations: from the Mongolian ger, the shamanic tambourine and the complicated symbolism of the circle in Buddhist philosophy to western land art and op art. Such different interpretations add multiple layers to Bazo’s work, which makes him one of the most talked about Mongolian artists today.

Although many artists have worked with the abstracted form of the circle, Bazo imparts a uniquely original vision to the subject matter through his masterful use of color and composition. According to the artist, the circle is a perfect shape, which compels him to seek its imperfections by either deforming its perfect form or creating an illusion of discontinuity within it. Sometimes the form of the circle is nearly unrecognizable as the shape is dissipated by a few forceful strokes of the brush. In some of his work, Bazo lets his paint drip on the canvases, endowing the rigid structure of his work with a spontaneous quality. Often his paintings have an eerie sense of deepness that draws the viewer into the abyss; however, when the artist plays with bright pink and neon green paint, his work becomes endearingly cheerful. Thus, the dialogue is brought full circle as these techniques further emphasize the philosophical implications of Bazo’s work. 

Born in 1979, Bazo graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia with a painting degree in 2004. Bazo has exhibited extensively both in Mongolia and abroad – his work has been shown in numerous group exhibitions and several solo shows, including two one-man exhibitions at XanaduART gallery and one solo show at the Globe gallery in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 2005, Bazo won the “Best Work of Art by an Emerging Artist” prize awarded by the Union of Mongolian Artists. His work is held in the permanent collection of the Mongolian Museum of Modern Art as well as numerous private collections.

RECENT WORKS

Circle paintings:

Abstract works:

Installation views:

TO BE CONTINUED

February 2008

For more information about this exhibition please call XanaduART gallery at 976-11-310239 (Mongolian) or e-mail info@xanaduartgallery.org (English).

SELECTED WORKS EXHIBITED

Exhibition dates: March 29 – April 4, 2007

XanaduART Gallery is delighted to present FUSION, a painting and photography exhibition by Gek Kheng and David Whitworth. The exhibition, which opens today (March 29th) at 6pm, aims to raise funds for a new Arts and Crafts Workshop at the Lotus Children’s Centre. The British Ambassador to Mongolia, Mr. Christopher Wyndham Osborne, will speak at the opening event.

About Lotus Children’s Centre

The Lotus Children’s Centre (www.lotuschild.org) was established in 1995 by Didi Kalika, an Australian, to give homeless Mongolian children a chance to have a better future. The Centre, situated in Yarmag just out of Ulaanbaatar city, provides the children with a family environment by creating small family groups, each with 8 to 10 children to one housemother. 

Recognising the importance of education in breaking the poverty cycle, the centre has developed its own kindergarten and school. The Centre has a small group of children with learning difficulties.  The establishment of the Arts and Crafts Workshop is primarily aimed at providing craft skills for these children with special needs to help them to secure a livelihood. The new workshop will also be used for art lessons for children at the Centre.

The Artists

The artists, Gek Kheng and David Whitworth, arrived in Mongolia in mid-August 2006 and have been pursuing their interests in oil painting and photography, using Mongolia as their inspiration. Gek is a British trained Singaporean artist and David, an engineer, is working in Ulaanbaatar as an adviser to an Asian Development Bank funded project. 

Twenty six oil paintings based on the themes of Mongolian landscapes and portraiture will be exhibited, all created in Mongolia by Gek. The paintings are mainly abstract.

David has been taking photographs of Mongolian landscapes and around Ulaanbaatar and loading these photographic encounters on a blog at www.davidvso.blogspot.com. The postings from the blog will be on display during the exhibition. In addition 12 framed photographs and a digital display of the photographs will be exhibited. Gek’s art can also be seen on her blog at www.gek-art.blogspot.com/.

SELECTED WORK EXHIBITED: