26 july 2024, Wouter van den Eijkel
The studio of... Nomin Zezegmaa
What does the studio of an artist leading a nomadic life look like? Nomin Zezegmaa graduated from the Rietveld Academy four years ago and divides her time between Ulanbaatar, Amsterdam, and Berlin. The Mongolian Zezegmaa considers the physical studio space as a sanctuary, but her real studio is in her mind.
Anyone who sees the exhibition ᠴᠢᠨᠠᠳᠤ ᠰᠠᠯᠬ (The Wind on the Other Side) will quickly realize that her work is rooted in a completely different tradition than the Western one. Zezegmaa’s ideas are based on Mongolian cosmology. Ideas that we in the West generally consider pre-scientific. The press release for the show even mentions a shamanistic perspective. “The shamanistic perspective is a proposal and invitation to look at the world and our environment differently, and especially to interact with it differently.” With ᠴᠢᠨᠠᠳᠤ ᠰᠠᠯᠬ (The Wind on the Other Side), Zezegmaa shows us possible new perspectives on our planet and nature and how we can relate to them.
ᠴᠢᠨᠠᠳᠤ ᠰᠠᠯᠬ (The Wind on the Other Side) by Nomin Zezegmaa can be visited by appointment until August 22 at Galerie Bart in Amsterdam. You can make an appointment via email: [email protected].
Where is your studio and what does it look like?
My studio is currently in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on the city outskirts close the sacred Bogd Khan Mountain. It is a studio/loft apartment with access to the rooftop, which I can use as an extension of my work space. I have a ceiling that is four metres high, a stone tile floor and two cats. I keep my studio very neat, with all materials arranged and partially stored in a traditional Mongolian wooden chest, which also serves as my altar or shrine. I consider this physical space a sanctuary. But I also leave the studio, of course, to wander around the forests of the mountain.
The Bared Below documentation Nomin Zezegmaa Niehoff
You are a multidisciplinary artist, writer and researcher, working in three countries (Mongolia, the Netherlands and Germany). I can imagine that this impacts your studio requirements. What are essential studio features for you?
In terms of a physical space, I need enough floor space and wall space. Daylight is also extremely important to me and being able to see the sky unobstructed. Other than that, my work has become quite nomadic due to the nature of these different locations and travel in general. I have a few essential tools I can bring with me everywhere, such as needle and thread, scissors, stapler, ink and a few brushes. But my studio exists more in my head, where new ideas are always brewing.
What is your work process? Take us through a typical day in your studio.
I start with a bit of reading over some coffee and there is always music playing in the studio. During intensive preparations, such as for the current show at Galerie Bart, I become a hermit and refrain from having visitors or guests while I’m in the process of creation. Usually, I work on several pieces at the same time, as they create a dialogue, not only with me, but also among themselves. Their presence itself is important to the creation process. They ferment together in the studio. In other words, there is a dialogue between all the pieces I’m currently working on. While one painting is drying, I may be able to continue on another piece, read, take a lunch break or do some administrative work.
Nomin Zezegmaa
Congratulations on your current show at Galerie Bart, ᠴᠢᠨᠠᠳᠤ ᠰᠠᠯᠬ (The Wind on the Other Side)! Anyone who has the seen the show probably senses that your work stems from a different tradition than Western art. Can you tell us a bit about the philosophy behind your work?
I completed my studies at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam in 2020. During my four years of studies, I finally had the time and opportunity to read and study more about Mongolian history, mainly from anthropological or ethnographical research sources, which combined with my personal experiences of Mongolia, created the sub-soil for my artistic and theoretical framework. They inevitably form the undercurrent of my work.
The press release states that you “operate as a mediator between states of being by exploring the innate and inter-connected nature, reality and soul of matter through a shamanic gaze”. What is meant by a shamanic gaze?
‘The Shamanic Gaze—An Investigation into Mongol Futurist Ways of Being’ is the title of my 2020 thesis in which this gaze is explained in detail. The Shamanic Gaze is a proposal and invitation to look at the world and environment differently and most of all, engage with it differently. In the Capitalocene, everything is a commodity to be exploited, used and discarded—which is wasteful and disrespectful. In the Shamanic Gaze, on the other hand, everything is alive, a carrier of soul and stories.
Nomin Zezegmaa
The work in the show all has titles referring to pre-scientific interpretations of the universe, such as the Four Corners of the World, Presence, Origin and ᠠᠯᠳᠠ ᠪᠡᠶᠡ,ᠰᠡᠳᠬᠢᠯ,ᠪᠣᠳᠤᠯ (Body, Soul, Thought). Can you tell us a bit about the Mongol cosmogony behind this?
Those particular titles that you mention are the pillars of Mongol Cosmogony. Like every culture, people try to make sense of their world. Four Corners of the World, but also The Mountain Within (Pangaea and Panthalassa), pay homage to the idea of the cardinals, inter-cardinals and the entities that inhabit these domains. ᠠᠯᠳᠠ ᠪᠡᠶᠡ,ᠰᠡᠳᠬᠢᠯ,ᠪᠣᠳᠤᠯ (Body, Soul, Thought) describes the human structure as suggested by the title. Tenger Etseg, Sky Father, and Gazar Eej, Earth Mother, are our shared universal origin. Within these concepts are rich and detailed ideas of the structure of the worlds that coexist, humankind as we know it and are part of, which can only inhabit one of these worlds, and ways to respectfully engage with the world and everything that inhabits it. There is power, soul and life ascribed to everything that surrounds us—land, water, plants and stones, as well as the spirits of our ancestors. There is a great deal for us to collectively remember as humans and sometimes I believe that may be the reason we are born human.
Nomin Zezegmaa, ᠠᠯᠳᠠ ᠪᠡᠶᠡ,ᠰᠡᠳᠬᠢᠯ,ᠪᠣᠳᠤᠯ ( Body, Soul, Thought), 2024, Galerie Bart
What is also remarkable is the number of mediums in the show –drawings, paintings, video and sculptures. How do you decide on a medium?
The decision to use a specific medium comes easy: what helps me tell the story and convey it best? What vessel can contain the story and express it? Some need an entire book, others a moving image. Inherently, it is the materials itself that tell their own stories. Sometimes, it is also about the process, which in my work often is performative, meditative or ritualistic in nature.
If I were to give you carte blanche, what project would you start working on right away that may have seemed impossible beforehand?
That would probably be a large land art piece that condenses and preserves all my humble knowledge to this day, something that connects and correlates to the movement of the sky, the four seasons and the sound of the wind. Like a mirror of the sky. Or maybe it would be on a mountain. Or in a cave. In an exhibition setting, it might be a large immersive installation that combines all the senses, with everything set in water. In a way, with every exhibition opportunity, I tend to incorporate more of my ideas and goals in terms of the senses. Such as scent or sound. I envision working with the black cube as the starting point because it re-enacts the ancient caves of humanity that served as mnemonic devices.
What are you working on right now?
In my studio, I now face a large blank canvas and am exploring ideas and thoughts on what will happen. Apart from that, I will soon be going on a research visit to Almaty, Kazakhstan for an exciting collaboration. Another exciting project I am organising and curating is a trans-cultural initiative titled Zamnagch, which involves inviting foreign artists to Mongolia and along with Mongolian artists, creating a bridge, a new pathway. We want to organise workshops and an inspiring public programme to make art education and art itself accessible to communities outside urban areas like the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. I am hoping to implement the first round of Zamnagch this year. Our main focus for the rest of the year is in the north-western province of Khuvsgul and the rural communities there.
Nomin Zezegmaa, ᠴᠢᠨᠠᠳᠤ ᠰᠠᠯᠬ (The Wind on the Other Side), Galerie Bart
