Temporary Exhibitions
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 4:00 PM,
The National Museum of Art of Moldova invites you to the opening of the exhibition of the artist Otgonbayar Ershuu entitled “CABINET of CURIOSITIES.”
We look forward to welcoming you to discover a unique visual universe, full of mystery and surprises!
Inhale… exhale… inhale… exhale – draw a line. Repeat.
This is the meditative artistic practice of Otgonbayar Ershuu, better known by his short name OtGO. He is one of Mongolia’s most remarkable artists and has been living in Berlin for about twenty years. This fact has broadened his cultural experiences and influenced the material basis of his artistic creation. Nevertheless, his spiritual core remains firmly rooted in the cultural heritage of Mongolia.
Line after line, OtGO’s works become complex textures of painted traces, interwoven with layers of meaning. His art is meditative and iterative in many ways. As a Thangka painter, he comes from a long tradition of creating religious imagery in Lamaist Buddhism, a tradition in which painting and meditation have never been separate activities. In this tradition, every line, every spot of color is both premeditated and a meditation in itself.
It is from this tradition that OtGO set out. And “departure” here does not only mean his relocation to Berlin, but also that he radically reinterprets the art of imagery from within his Mongolian heritage—not by abandoning its spiritual dimension, but by changing its artistic and social context. The practice of drawing line after line in a meditative state remains active in his process, but the subject matter now incorporates his new social and political contexts as well as his very personal attitudes toward them.
For example, his massive work “Cabinet of Curiosities”, itself divided into four parts, addresses issues relating to life (Fetus) and death (Memento Mori), and much more—including Horses, which for any Mongolian represent an important subject, since “Mongols believe that the purpose of life is to live tegsh, in balance with the world. A person stands alone and strong in the center of the world, with the infinite blue of the Father Sky (Tenger) above and with Mother Earth (Gazar Eje) supporting and nourishing beneath. By living an honest and respectful life, a human being (hun) will maintain the world in balance and maximize his or her personal power (wind-horse, hiimori).” Thus, in Mongolian culture, a horse is much more than a commodity or a matter of pride; it is a manifestation of the human soul, destiny, and future.
“Cabinet of Curiosities” is composed of hundreds of sheets (mostly A5 size), which form large blocks serving as visual vessels for the subjects addressed by OtGO. The first layer of these papers consists of collages of used historical postage stamps from Germany, Europe, Mongolia, and beyond. These collages serve as the background for OtGO’s paintings. It is important to mention here that Genghis Khan and his successors created the most efficient postal system the world had ever seen at the beginning of the 13th century, making it possible to transmit information from the China Sea to the borders of Europe within 7–10 days with the help of mounted messengers. Clearly, OtGO’s choice here is not arbitrary, but rather a subtle allusion to the achievements of Mongolian heritage.
OtGO’s works convey the notion of art from and in Mongolia. OtGO is not only a part of it—he is a driving force within this dynamic.
Thomas Eller
Otgonbayar Ershuu was born in 1981 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. His talent was discovered early, and at the age of 15 he organized his first solo exhibitions. He studied traditional Mongolian painting in Ulaanbaatar (1996–1998).
After graduation, he participated as a painter and restorer in several study visits to historical sites in Mongolia. He studied various techniques in Buddhist-Lamaist temples, the iconography of miniature painting, as well as their spiritual foundations.
Between 2007 and 2010 he studied at the Berlin University of the Arts, graduating with a Master of Arts degree. After his studies, OtGO opened the first Mongolian Cultural Center in Berlin (2010–2013) and founded ZURAG Gallery Berlin (2010–2014)—the first gallery founded and directed by a Mongolian outside Mongolia.
In 2015, OtGO was awarded the Grand Prize at the International Painting Biennale in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. In 2019, he took part in the Curating Project at the Berlin University of the Arts and obtained a university certificate. Between 2018 and 2025, he worked as chief curator and head of external relations at the National Gallery of Art of Mongolia, in parallel with his artistic activity.
OtGO has exhibited his works in Japan, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, India, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Georgia, Germany, and Mongolia.
His works can be found in various museums, institutions, and private collections, including: the National Gallery of Art of Mongolia, the Ulaanbaatar Museum (Mongolia); the National Museum of Art of Moldova, Chișinău (Republic of Moldova); the Museum of Art of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia); HSBC (Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation); Seeheim Castle, Constance (Germany); Old Baruth Castle (Germany); Fondation Kunstdepot, Göschenen (Switzerland); the Embassy of Mongolia in Germany; MRK Gruppe, Dresden–Munich (Germany).
The artist lives between Berlin and Ulaanbaatar.
