Ochirbold Ayurzana: Discovering the Present from the Future

Commissioned by the Ministry of Culture of Mongolia, artist Ochirbold Ayurzana will represent Mongolia at the 60th International Venice Biennale. The Mongolian Pavilion’s contribution is curated by Oyuntuya Oyunjargal, the Cultural Envoy of Mongolia to Germany, and co-curated by Gregor Jansen, director of the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf in Germany. The commissioner is Minister of Culture Nomin Chinbat.

The exhibition Discovering the Present from the Future by Ochirbold Ayurzana in the Mongolian Pavilion explores the profound levels of consciousness through interactive sculpture installations. Inspired by the Buddhist deity Citipati, these sculptures, including the three-eyed skull, serve as reminders of the impermanence of life, fostering spiritual transformation and symbolizing the search for higher consciousness and enlightenment in Buddhism.

In the digital era, Citipati can embody the transition to the digital age as a guardian of technology. Another interpretation sees Citipati as a guardian of the environment, pointing to challenges such as climate change. Their movements illustrate the fragile balance between nature and humanity. In collective dances, they symbolize bridge-builders between cultures, embodying the idea of global interconnectedness in the North and South, and collaboration in an increasingly intercultural world.

Its artistic contribution delves into the exploration of profound levels of consciousness by analyzing societal and human behavioral shifts in our globalized world from various artistic perspectives. This exploration is facilitated through the new sculpture installation titled Discovering the Present from the Future, complemented by a depiction of the historic Citipati at the exhibition, and an ongoing series of sculpture installations titled Discovering Consciousness.

The exhibition staging at Arsenale Castello 2127A, Campa de la Tana opposite the main entrance to the Biennale at Arsenale, creates a captivating space of transformation. Through the interactive installation, visitors are actively engaged in exploring the “Stranger within Myself” theme and could interact and shape their own journeys of consciousness. By merging Buddhist wisdom with modern approaches, the artist aims to bridge the gap between the present and the future, providing thought-provoking insights and inspiring individuals to explore the present through the lens of the future.

Mongolian artist Ochirbold Ayurzana, born in 1976 in eastern Province of Mongolia, has been exploring societal and behavioral changes in the globalized world through his artistic concept of “Consciousness” since 2014. Questioning how consciousness evolves amid the deluge of information, he creates socially, and critically reflective works exhibited internationally, allowing individual interpretations by viewers. The artist emphasizes the importance of interactivity in his work. His sculptures provide viewers with the opportunity to discover hidden beauty despite critical ideas. The larger-than-life, gender-neutral figures representing “Consciousness” are in a meditative posture facing the spiraled center, metaphorically symbolizing the mental realm and the intermediate world. Crafted from delicate, oxidized steel wire mesh, the artwork conveys transcendence through its permeable construction. In particular, his concept of “Consciousness” reflects the desire for expanded awareness and a connection to the spiritual dimension.

His works have been featured in numerous exhibitions across Germany, Korea, China, Russia, the USA, and Mongolia. Additionally, his large-scale sculptures are prominently displayed in public spaces internationally, including the sculpture park at the UN headquarters in New York. Ochirbold received the Public Prize at NordArt 2015 and the NordArt Prize in 2019. This year, he has two more exhibitions in Germany. Starting from June 1st, 2024, he will exhibit at the 25th NordArt and in the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf in Germany, as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and Germany.

Curator Oyuntuya Oyunjargal, a Mongolian native residing in Germany, holds degrees in European Media Studies and Arts and Media Administration from various German institutions. In 2016, she was appointed Cultural Envoy of Mongolia to Germany by the Mongolian Foreign Ministry, in order to promote bilateral relations between the two countries in the fields of arts and culture, history, education and science, sports and society. Her career began in 2009, coordinating cultural projects at the IKM FU Berlin between China and Germany. In 2013, she founded the AMPMC NGO to foster civil society participation in Mongolia’s cultural sector and to further develop artistic excellence, cultural exchange and sustainable international institutional cooperation. Since 2015, she has organized and curated four Mongolian pavilions in collaboration with the NordArt International Art Exhibition and AMPMC NGO, showcasing 350 artworks by 120 Mongolian artists. She curates the fifth Mongolian Pavilion at the 25th NordArt from June 1st to October 6th, 2024, featuring 22 Mongolian contemporary artists. She is a partner in the project “Healing the Earth”, curated by Gregor Jansen, commemorating the 50th anniversary of German-Mongolian relations in 2024 at the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf and the Chinggis Khaan National Museum. Oyuntuya collaborates on almost 60 projects, working with national and international entities to execute international projects. 

Guest co-curator Gregor Jansen is the Director of Kunsthalle Düsseldorf since January 2010. Previously, he served as director of ZKM | Museum für Neue Kunst in Karlsruhe from 2005 to 2009. Gregor Jansen has curated numerous exhibitions globally, including recent ones in Brazil, Leipzig, Shanghai, and South Korea. He is also an author of lectures, essays on contemporary art, artist monographs, interviews, and exhibition catalogs. As director of Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, he envisions the institution as an open space addressing relevant aesthetic and sociopolitical issues through exhibitions, discursive and performative programs, and innovative formats. The comprehensive project “Healing the Earth: Genghis Khan, Shamans, and Actresses, a Utopian Empire: Eurasia” is curated by Gregor Jansen. This exhibition, commemorating the 50th anniversary of German-Mongolian diplomatic relations in 2024, will be held from June 28th to September 2nd, 2024, at the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf and from end of August to end of October 2024, at the Chinggis Khaan National Museum in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Open hours
April 20–September 30: Tuesday-Sunday, 11am–7pm
October 1–November 24: Tuesday-Sunday, 10am–6pm
Closed on Mondays (except April 22, June 17, July 22, September 2 and 3, November 18)

Press preview
There will be a dedicated press preview on April 18, 4pm—5pm at the Mongolian Pavilion. Please register here by April 11, 2023.

Individual interviews upon request. 

For international and national press requests, please contact
Zultsetseg Oyunjargal (Communication/PR office Mongolia), T +976 99169084 (WhatsApp & Viber) / pr [​at​] 2024mongolian-pavilion.org

Kathrin Luz (Communication/PR office international), T +49 (0) 171 3102472 / kl [​at​] luz-communication.de

Lisa Balasso (Press office for Italian press) | Phone: +39 3484545145 | E-Mail: lisa [​at​] design33.it