WHITE MILK PAINTS THE BLUE SKY

Lkham Gallery is pleased to present White Milk Paints the Blue Sky, on view from October 14 to October 26, 2023, in Paris, during the city’s biggest art week of the year. The exhibition invites eight contemporary artists from or living in Mongolia to consider how they envision the future and their place within it. It marks the first time that a Mongolian gallery has staged an exhibition of contemporary art at this scale abroad. The title evokes an ancient Mongolian practice of tossing milk towards the sky as a form of blessing, whenever crossing into a foreign land or embarking on a new journey or life phase. 

Curated by Dr. Christianna Bonin, the multi-disciplinary group show features works by Baatarzorig Batjargal, Bekhbaatar Enkhtur, Chayodu, Nomin Bold, Nomin Zezegmaa, Nyam-Ochir Oyunpurev, Odonchimeg Davaadorj, and Zula Tuvshinbat. For them, the future stretches between activism and conformism, and between empathy and hate. It is grounded in ancestral knowledge, but may not be anthropocentric. They offer new perspectives on art from a country that has thus far largely been known to the world through romanticized documentaries about nomadic life or the history of Chinggis Khan. Taken together, their practices represent a young generation of Mongolians intimately attuned to where they have been, where they are now, and where they are going. 

The exhibition opening will take place on October 14, 2023, from 17:00 to 22:00. It will be inaugurated by Nomin Chinbat, Minister of Culture, Mongolia, and Sebastièn Surun, Ambassador of France to Mongolia. A week of programming will follow the opening and include artist talks and conversations with the curator and other experts in contemporary art from Central Asia. 

Based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Lkham Gallery strives to promote contemporary art and culture of the Mongolian-speaking world and the broader Central Asian region. Lkham represents both emerging and mid-career artists working in a wide range of media. As the first gallery of its kind in Mongolia, Lkham envisions itself as an open door. Through regular exhibitions, publications, and a dynamic public program, the gallery facilitates dialogue between local artists and the public, and to galvanize patronage of local artists throughout its community, the region, and beyond. Lkham also regularly hosts lectures by experts working in a variety of fields and will provide residency opportunities for local and international artists. Founded in 2022 by entrepreneur Natsagsuren Mangalam, the gallery bears the name of her grandmother and references an important Buddhist protector deity.  

White Milk Paints the Blue Sky is supported by the International Art Development Association, a Paris-based, non-for-profit and non-governmental organization, dedicated to promoting contemporary art from Kazakhstan and from Central Asia more broadly. IADA encourages cultural exchange, residency programs, and artistic events related to this mission.