Mongolia’s 2019 Venice Biennale Pavilion Features Throat Singing and Carsten Nicolai

For the 58th Venice Biennale (May 11–November 24, 2019), Mongolia presents 'A Temporality,' an interdisciplinary project at its national pavilion. Los Angeles-based artist Jantsankhorol Erdenebayar creates sculptural installations exploring Mongolian culture and traditions, while German sound artist Carsten Nicolai (Alva Noto) accompanies a performance by Mongolian throat singers. Curator Gantuya Badamgarav commissioned the project to offer visitors 'moments of fleeting forgetfulness and reminiscence.' Throat singing originated as a means for Mongolians to communicate with their inner selves, surroundings, and animals, with sounds varying by environment and the singer's mind, body, and spirit. The project addresses the erosion of the human-nature bond due to anthropogenic environments. Nicolai transforms and translates ancient oral expressions into contemporary art, interacting with Erdenebayar's spatial creations.