Munkhdorj Batdelger

What is endurance?
What lies hidden behind patience?
Is bitter cold a form of solitude, or a threshold to encountering one’s inner self?

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This work unfolds as a journey of self-searching;  an inward gaze, a call directed toward the interior. Unconscious endurance and disembodied memories evaporate into nothingness, leaving behind a truth as clear and crystalline as glass.

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In the spatial installation “Let’s Face Ourselves,” the artist deliberately employs materials rooted in nomadic life: bone and skin. Bone embodies the naked, foundational truth of existence. These bones are arranged within what appears to be a “protected” space; yet this space is not defined by rigid fences or solid boundaries, but by a lightweight cotton structure that shifts, sways, and yields to the wind.

This tension reveals a delicate balance between protection and vulnerability, stability and movement. Though the structure trembles with the wind, it remains anchored within its four supporting pillars, holding its center and its limits.

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As the material surface peels away and becomes transparent, the true essence, the skeletal framework, is revealed. It mirrors the human condition: an inner truth concealed beneath layers. These bones are raw, shaped, but shapeless. 

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The “face” that shelters and conceals is represented by an animal skin, placed beneath the bones. It signifies an outer image, a protective layer, a hidden self;  intensifying the relationship between inner essence (bone) and outward expression (skin). 

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White and blue colors are present in the work. I leave the reflection on this aspect open, allowing you the freedom to interpret and reveal it in your own way.

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Amid the trials of harsh cold, the artist confronts their own “naked” inner being. It appears wild, cold, even unsettling. Yet within this existence, the artist continues to stand upright, holding onto the four inner pillars: the essential values that sustain their strength.

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This work is not about endurance itself, but about what lies beyond it:
the moment of encountering oneself. 

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Curator 

Ulziibat Enkhtur