Artist O. Zolbootuguldur dives into ‘magic realism’

Specialized in Mongol painting, O. Zolbootuguldur explored the arts in Poland for three years and released four solo exhibitions on top of participating in several international exhibitions over the last decade.

Here is an extensive interview with the young artist who is falling deep for “magic realism”.

What is the main theme that you enjoy drawing?

I engage in magic realism, which can also be reffered to as neorealism. There isn’t a particular topic or theme I focus on. As we age and increase our knowledge, our perspective changes and so do the themes we explore. For example, when I started off as an artist, I used to do arts of neorealism, absurdity and abstraction. Basically, lighter and easier themes. My first exhibition I released in 2013 mainly had that kind of paintings. Artworks manifest from an artist’s mind and feelings. Lately, I’ve been attempting to portray psychological complexes. In particular, I want to show that childhood memories are stored in our subconscious mind and that they affect us later in life.

Pieces related to the subconscious mind require quite a bit of research. You could say it needs prudence. This is an indication that my perspective of life and personal philosophy have changed. I don’t wish to sell my “Women’s Night out” painting because it shows a phase of my transition as an artist. It was the first piece I made with a heavier topic and different style. For a while, I even painted deities. Another time, I drew cute paintings of couples in love. People really like that kind of paintings and they are sold well.

Which theme do you want to draw next?

I strive to be fantastical. I want to positively portray people, who were abused and harbor mental scars, and give them the strength to continue to live. In our society, there are people who don’t accept those who were abused as a child but don’t speak up about it even as an adult. Abuse isn’t always physical. Wrong and hurtful words can scar a person, especially children, for life. If a father calls his daughter “pathetic”, it might be engraved in the daughter’s heart forever.

Lately, I’ve been holding on to the theme of psychological injury. I’ve been working on a sculpture for several months now. I participated in a festival themed “Helping Women with Psychological Problems” in Thailand last winter and met women with mental scars, talked with them, taught them to draw and be creative, and helped them put out an exhibition. It was a large festival organized with support from the government.

Besides drawing, what other type of art do you produce?

In connection to my sculpture, I’m making stuffed toys. In general, I’m on an artistic search and continuing to challenge myself. I also illustrated books and they are very fruitful as it stays. However, the Mongolian market is limited. You can almost never illustrate books for a high price. Sometimes, I do it practically for free – as a gift for the author. I feel like this type of business requires policy and regulation. Nevertheless, it’s more about working spiritually with another person rather than working for money. For example, I worked with State Honored Children’s Author J.Dashdondog for years before he passed away.

What are you working on currently?

I’m painting this artwork for a gallery that will open in April. I haven’t finished it, let alone named it yet. It’s a psychological piece. It asks: Are people controlled by the mind or by the subconscious? I represented a man through a stag.

You mainly paint women with small, long eyes. Is it your image of Mongolian women? Overall, what kind of element do you strive to engrave in your art?

I try to include something that expresses Mongolia in my art. Rather than traditional patterns and clothing, it’s usually something smaller. I guess you could consider small, long eyes as a facial feature of Mongolians. Personally, I draw it similarly to my daughter’s eyes. I want her to feel that this unique feature is beautiful.

As both an artist and individual, through which color would you describe the modern society?

As an individual, I’m more modest and gentle so I would choose grey. But as an artist, I feel like I’m a bright red or blue. As for society, I believe it is going as it is supposed to and so I would express it in all colors.

What kind of environment do you work best?

As my studio is relatively small, I can’t be organized even if I want to. If I had a larger space to work in, I might be able to stay more organized, but of course, an artist can’t work cleanly like office workers.

How do you select your tools?

I make canvases for small-sized artworks myself. When choosing materials, I consider their durability. I want the people who buy my artwork to be able to appreciate it for a long time so I put emphasis on the quality of the material I use. However, I can’t always use expensive paint and brushes as it would cause financial burdens. This is an issue most young artists face. Still, I can’t use cheap, bad-quality materials.

What other challenges do you face as a young artist?

Support for young artists is scarce in Mongolia. The most fundamental problem is getting a studio. I’m currently renting it. The rooms at the Union of Mongolian Artists should be commercialized. (The union) could hire young artists for three to five years until they are able to find their ground. The union has members who joined at 20 and still work there. I’m not saying the older artists should be let off, but there is a weird system where you need to establish brothersister bond to get things done around here.