Mongolia 360

The 1st Land Art Biennial- Mongolia 360 degrees consisted of art installations in Gobi Desert by 20 international and local artists. It was accompanied by a 3 day Symposium and an exhibition at the Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery in Ulaanbaatar. The concept behind my main piece was to address issues of colonization by comparing the disappearance of the once giant Douglas Firs of Vancouver to the threat of logging currently in Mongolia. I used traditionally made felt because it represents the resourcefulness of these nomadic peoples.

Mongolia 360, first impressions

August 17, 2010

I arrived in Mongolia about two weeks ago but it seems like ages already. For a Westerner like me it has been quite a culture shock. First of all the language is so complex, with many clicks and sounds that resemble more Inuit than anything i have ever heard. Most Mongolians are hesitant to even tell you there name because they know you will make a dog’s breakfast out of it! The artists who arrived early like myself stayed in a Ger (yurt) camp outside of the capital of Ulaanbataar. the Gers are very beautiful but i was not well …

Mongolia 360 invitation

August 1, 2010

You are invited to join us in Ulaanbaatar for the 1st Land Art Biennial- Mongolia 360˚ Symposium August 16 – 19 Opening Reception Thursday, August 19, 5 p.m. at the MONGOLIAN NATIONAL MODERN ART GALLERY Sukhbaatar square-3 / Central Cultural Palace “B” / Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia visit the Land Art Blog for more info on the installations in the Gobi Desert and the Symposium

Mongolian 360 Experience

August 31, 2010

My experience of Mongolia was defined by the region of Bazriin Chuulu where the Land Art artworks were created and the people i met there. Mongolians are happy go lucky and so my favorite and most informative experiences happened by accident. For instance, one day after being lost in the desert for several hours, roaming the landscape in Mr. Tsegmid Puntsag’s SUV, we came upon a site which has a tiny well of holy water. That day i also learnt about Lama Zavaa Damdin who was a Gobi Buddhist scholar and a hermit during the socialist purges. Tsegmid also pointed out the …

Mongolian 360 National Gallery Exhibition

August 26, 2010

The trip and installations in the Gobi were followed by a 3 day symposium and exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art in UB, where we were put up in a 4 star hotel. This was an extreme contrast to the camping situation we had in the desert but many of us were happy to have warm showers, electricity and green vegetables! The exhibition functioned mostly as a review of the installations in the Gobi and consisted mainly of photos of the work. Some of us had additional work installed in the gallery. I for one brought my felt …

Modern 360 Mongolian

August 21, 2010

My second project was derived from the first one. The empty circles cut out of the felt spoke to me about the inevitable modernisation of Mongolian life; how the traditional Ger is being replaced by modern houses and apartments. This felt piece was purchased at the market and it was used, that is, it was once a ger covering. I hung it on the rocks as a temporary installation and then i had an artist, Megumi Shimizu wear it as a sort of house/cape. Megumi is a performance artist and she participated in several artist’s pieces on top of her …

Nomadik Harvest Dress

The Nomadik Harvest Dress is a mobile foraging outfit equipped with over 40 pockets to store comestibles and a small camping stove for cooking. Wherever Mlle Cornucopia travels she collects local edible plants and shares her knowledge through the extensive informational tags on her skirt. The skirt is based on the efficient and portable design of the Mongolian ger (yurt).

2013 Environmental Art Calendar

December 9, 2012

Start the new year off with the 2013 Environmental Art Calendar by Amber Lotus Publishing. Photo Solar Resource is featured in February. I am in good company with other artists such as Steven Siegel, Patrick Dougherty, Chris Drury, Karin van der Molen,( whom i met during Land Art 360 Mongolia) Chris Booth (who exhibited during the Earth Art in Vancouver) and Diana Lynn Thompson (who lives on Salt Spring Island here in BC). What an honour! http://www.amberlotus.com/productdetails.cfm?sku=13EA&isbn=9781602376113&title=2013-environmental-art-wall-calendar