Bekhbaatar Enkhtur's Fragile Sculptures at Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo

Bekhbaatar Enkhtur, a Mongolian artist born in Ulan Bator in 1994, creates fragile sculptures from raw clay, beeswax, and other perishable materials, challenging traditional notions of durability and monumentality. His works are on view at Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin until January 6. Enkhtur's practice draws on childhood memories of family altars in Mongolia, where statues were treated as living beings. He uses materials that transform over time, emphasizing horizontality over verticality and fragility over strength. His imagery includes animals and mythical figures, with recent influences from Central Asian archaeology and Shiite art. Enkhtur studied sculpture at Accademia di Belle Arti Bologna and now lives in Turin. He has exhibited at Fondazione Elpis (Milan), Pedro Cera Gallery (Lisbon), Palazzo Collicola (Spoleto), and others. In 2023, he won the Illy Present Future prize at Artissima. In 2024, he is a finalist for the Future Generation Art Prize. He is represented by Matèria and Pedro Cera. Enkhtur values manual labor as a form of resistance to digital imagery, often incorporating materials found on-site. His exhibition at Matèria integrated traces of a previous show by Marta Mancini.