“The Post-Nomadic Experience” — A Cultural Artifact Reimagining Mongolia's Identity Through Art, Philosophy, and Global Dialogue

“The Post-Nomadic Experience” it is a powerful cultural artifact that reflects Mongolia’s evolving identity in a time of change. Created under the leadership of artist and curator Thomas Eller and the ZEIGENeV collective, this bilingual publication (in Mongolian and German) brings together artistic voices, philosophical reflections, and scholarly research. It was developed to mark the 50th anniversary of Mongolia–Germany diplomatic relations — but it does much more than commemorate. The book repositions Mongolia's cultural wisdom within a global context while deepening its connection to ancestral knowledge and natural consciousness.

At the core of the book is Tengrism, the ancient worldview of Mongolian nomads. More than a belief system, Tengrism is a way of seeing and being — a philosophy where nature, the cosmos, and life are deeply interconnected. The sun and moon are sacred presences. This book explores how those timeless elements continue to live through modern Mongolian art, offering new interpretations through divers forms of creativity. In doing so, it shows how tradition flows into innovation, and how ancient values can shape contemporary imagination.

What makes this book unique is how it addresses Mongolia’s present-day realities. Topics such as gender, environmental awareness, social change, and cultural memory are explored with care and insight. These are not treated as separate themes, but as part of a larger conversation about how Mongolian identity is formed and transformed — through people, through place, and through creative expression.

The book was born out of two major collaborative projects in 2024:

• “Bavaria Art Camp” and “The Post-Nomadic Experience” exhibition (June 17 – July 8, 2024, Germany):9 Mongolian and 6 German artists came together to share and explore artistic practices across cultures.

• “Bayannuur Camp” (July 25 – August 11, 2024, Bulgan Province, Mongolia):An immersive residency where participants lived close to nature and engaged with local knowledge, rituals, and landscapes, in collaboration with the 'BLUE SUN' Contemporary Art Center of Mongolia.

  
  

From these deep encounters, Thomas Eller curated not just a documentation of events, but a living book — one that holds reflections, conversations, and experiences. It includes photographs, essays, art & craft views, and philosophical thoughts, woven together into a rich and layered narrative. It speaks from Mongolia, and it speaks to the world.

One of the book’s most powerful messages is its portrayal of nature — not as background scenery, but as a thinking, feeling presence. In the authentic Mongolian worldview, nature is not just something humans live with, but something they live through. Nature is a mother, a source of purity, intelligence, and care. This perspective is beautifully expressed through the artworks featured in the book. Art, in this sense, is not a reflection — it’s a way of calling things into being.

The book also explores how gender, social roles, and cultural responsibility are part of Mongolia’s ongoing transformation. These themes are not presented as isolated issues, but as deeply connected to Mongolia’s nomadic philosophy, where everything — care, survival, beauty, and meaning — is interwoven.

The writing throughout the book is poetic yet grounded, exploring both the visible world and the invisible forces behind it. It connects logic with emotion, history with possibility. In doing so, The Post-Nomadic Experience offers a vision not only of what Mongolia has been, but of what it is becoming — artistically, culturally, spiritually.

This book is not just a record of events or ideas. It is an offering — to Mongolia, and from Mongolia to the wider world. It is a gesture of cultural continuity, a space for shared reflection, and a seed for future creation. As such, it stands as a rare and important example of how art, thought, and collaboration can come together to imagine a more connected and conscious humanity.

Ulziibat Enkhtur