ON THE HORIZON, UNDER THE MOON
The first edition of the Ulaanbaatar Biennale looks beyond the horizon, inviting local and international artists to contemplate place, land, and home. The title is borrowed from a poem by a Mongolian poet, an ode to his mother and his homelands in the Gobi. Inspired by this line and the vast landscape of Mongolia, On the horizon, under the moon, the blue border of dreams looks to the meeting point of the sky and the earth. The title evokes the coalescence of many perspectives for this Biennale: while we may see different horizons, we share the same moon.
On the horizon, under the moon, explores the poetics and politics of land and homelands. The exhibition makes space for ancestral and intimate connections to place, platforms for land rights struggles and Indigenous movements, and speaks to cultural displacement and diasporic loss. It also makes visible the destructive, generative, and regenerative forces that act upon the land. In a world impacted by colonialism and capitalism, we ask: What does resistance look like? What can be recovered on the precipice of loss? What can be restored or renewed? What can we see at the sky's edge, lit by the moon's glow — and how might we get there?
Tian Zhang, chief curator of the Ulaanbaatar Biennale's leading exhibition
Ulaanbaatar Biennale will be held from June 6th - 20th of 2025.
Initiator:
Нийслэлийн Засаг даргын Тамгын газар
Organizers:
Нийслэлийн Соёл, урлагийн газар
Co-organizers:
Соёл Урлагийн Газар / Culture and Arts Authority
Contemporary Art Center of Mongolia - BLUE SUN CACM
Marketainment Mongolia
RAINBOW BRIDGE
“On the Horizon, Under the Moon” – A Joint Exhibition of Mongolian and Korean Artists
Rainbow Bridge is a collaborative exhibition that combines artists from Mongolia and South Korea in a shared creative space. It commemorates the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Historical sources recount that in 1219, the Great Mongol Empire and the Goryeo Kingdom entered into a “Brotherhood Oath Treaty,” establishing the foundations of a long-standing cultural and diplomatic connection. At the time, Goryeo was referred to as “Brass” or “Gaoli” by other Eastern peoples. Intriguingly, linguistic theories and folklore suggest that “Korea” may be etymologically linked to the Mongolian word solongo, meaning rainbow—a poetic symbol of the enduring cultural resonance between the two nations.
The exhibition explores themes of homeland, memory, identity, kinship, and shared history. Featuring works by 20 Mongolian and 14 Korean artists, it draws upon the refined traditions and techniques of Mongolian painting and Korean art. It embraces innovative forms of expression, evocative realism, and the multifaceted language of contemporary art, blending conceptual insight with technical mastery.
The artworks engage with various timely and timeless themes: historical layers, cultural transition, environmental shifts, and inner emotional landscapes. In doing so, they invite viewers to reflect on individual and collective experiences through visual art. Aligned with the Ulaanbaatar Biennale’s central theme “On the Horizon, Under the Moon,” this exhibition becomes a site of encounter where artists meet at the threshold of imagination and reality, transcending the boundaries of time, place, and perception.
More than an artistic exchange, Rainbow Bridge serves as a living metaphor for the deep-rooted ties between Mongolia and Korea—a continuum of historical, philosophical, and creative dialogue reimagined through the lens of contemporary art.
Curator
Anunaran Jargalsaikhan
Artist & Art Director, Blue Sun Contemporary Art Center
2025
