Opening speech

Mongolia’s first appearance at La Biennale di Venezia is initiated and organized by the Mongolian Contemporary Art Support Association (MCASA), Appointed as Commissioner by the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science of Mongolia, the founder of MCASA Gantuya assembled the Mongolia Pavilion organizing team, which includes curator Dr. Uranchimeg Tsultemin, international adviser David A. Ross, and production adviser Dr. Boldbaatar Chultemin. The two artists who were selected and invited to represent Mongolia at Venice are Unen Enkh and Enkhbold Togmidshiirevin.

It took the MCASA tremendous, if not impossible, courage in initiating and organizing a project with zero budget during the time of Mongolia’s economic downfall, unexpected change of the government in November 2014, and subsequent internal politics.

With the little support from the government and businesses at the time, the Association launched online crowd-sourcing fundraiser that aided the project with only $820. The Indiegogo fundraiser, however, brought more than something: international awareness of the project, and its impossibly ambitious and pioneering goals.

Finally, in February 2015, project got a support from Bat-Uul Erdene, Mayor of Ulaanbaatar city, who organized fund-raising event, where project could collect full funding from local leading business companies. Born in Ulaanbaatar city, Mr. S.Bat-Uul grew up listening to Beatles and other western rock band music during strictly controlled socialist regime. He is a son of famous Mongolian writer S.Erdene and also one of the leaders of democratic revolution in 1990. The fundraising was aided by artist and musician Yoko Ono, winner of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2004 Venice Biennale.