XAOC 2026 festival links Mongolia’s nomadic heritage with contemporary art

ULAANBAATAR — The international experimental music and visual arts festival XAOC 2026 brought together 17 artists from 11 countries in Ulaanbaatar from September 25 to October 4. The festival’s third edition, held under the theme “Resurgence – A New Nomadic Spirit,” explored migration, urbanisation, globalisation and cultural change through contemporary art.

Reframing nomadic culture through contemporary art

XAOC 2026 extended beyond a conventional art exhibition, combining video art, multimedia installations, performance, sound works and experimental music. Through their work, participating artists examined migration driven by geopolitical tensions, economic difficulties and climate change, as well as the impact of these forces on society and culture.

The festival’s visual arts exhibition was presented at X0 Art Space, an 800-square-metre venue in Dari-Ekh, while the live music programme took place at On'n Off Production. Bringing together multiple art forms allowed audiences not only to observe social change, but also to experience it through sound, space and movement.

Mongolian artists explore changing patterns of migration and urbanisation

Mongolian artists T. Enkhbold and L. Munguntsetseg reflected in their work on how globalisation, urbanisation and technological development are reshaping values, ways of thinking and lifestyles in contemporary Mongolia. They connected traditional nomadic culture, respect for nature and ancestral philosophy with the social changes of the present day.

A collaborative audio-visual work by B. Injinaash and D. Dorjkhand examined migration from rural areas to cities, the homogenisation of mixed cultures, and the psychological and ecological vulnerabilities experienced by individuals and society. These works introduced Mongolia’s social transformation to international audiences while demonstrating how contemporary art can offer new interpretations of national identity.

International artists join the programme

The festival featured Ethiopian-British artist Theo Eshetu’s multi-channel video installation “Atlas Fractured,” along with works by Filipino-Danish artist Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen, Austrian media artist Bernd Oppl and Danish artist Elisabeth Molin. The exhibition programme also included “In Transition” by Iranian-Finnish artist Sepideh Rahaa and the short film “Sediment,” created jointly by Arash Kamali Sarvestani and Mehregan Pesheki.

The live music programme included experimental performances by France’s Sacred Lodge, Italy’s Sara Persico and Sweden’s Thomas Nordmark. Taiwanese artist Wang Chien-Chuan took part with a live stage visual performance. The festival was curated by its founders T. Bilguun and B. Gantuya, together with Jan Rohlf, founder and artistic director of Berlin’s CTM Festival.

A new platform for international cultural cooperation

XAOC 2026 was organised by the Association for the Support of Contemporary Art in Mongolia in cooperation with international cultural organisations through the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC). Its partners included the Goethe-Institut in Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian-French Centre, the Embassy of Finland, the Danish Cultural Institute and cultural organisations from other countries.

Such cooperation gives Mongolian artists opportunities to connect with international networks, experiment with new approaches and present their work to audiences abroad. It also creates a space within the international arts community to discuss the links between Mongolia’s nomadic culture, contemporary urban life and shared global challenges.

XAOC 2026 stood out for treating nomadic heritage not merely as a tradition of the past, but as a living source for understanding social change today. Works addressing the intersection of tradition, technology, urbanisation and migration showed how contemporary art in Mongolia is defining its place in international cultural dialogue.