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Episode 29 meets Baatarzorig Batjargal, an artist based in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, who is revered for his fastidious paintings that capture the country’s shifting character and values. Drawing on the zurag style, associated with Mongolia’s independence movement in the early 20th century, his works evoke the contradictions of a nomadic society exposed to socialism now contending with rapid urbanisation and global capitalism. In scenes somewhat reminiscent of Tibetan Buddhist painting, a spectrum of figures including deities, intellectuals, warriors and cartoon characters jostle together.

Baatarzorig has exhibited widely and was included in the Bangkok Art Biennale 2020 and the Asia Pacific Triennale 2018 at the Queensland Art Gallery. He joined me from his studio to discuss how and why he converges spiritualism and consumption.

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In episode 28, Art Worlds visits Mongolia. Gantuya Badamgarav, a curator based in the country's capital Ulaanbaatar, has been integral to the development of the country’s contemporary art. With a macroeconomic policy background, Gantuya established 976 Art Gallery and the Mongolian Contemporary Art Support Association in 2012. She has organized over 100 exhibitions and was the first-ever Commissioner of the Mongolia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2015. Since she has been the project director and the curator in 2022 and 2019 when she brought together traditional throat singers with the German artist Carsten Nicolai in an installation by Jantsankhorol Erdenebayar. Gantuya currently runs the Nomadic Red Corner International Artist Residency. She spoke to me from her home in Ulaanbaatar about her pioneering work.

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