The London-based Bagri Foundation launched its inaugural exhibition as part of its new Springboard curatorial programme last weekend. Located in St Cyprian’s church in Marylebone, just a 15-minute walk from Frieze London, the exhibition You Who Sing Into Existence (until 24 October) marks the debut UK show for the Mongolian artist Nomin Zezegmaa.
“I still cannot believe we managed to hang a 27-metre batik from the ceiling of this hidden London Gothic church,” says the foundation’s director Chelsea Pettitt, who has also curated the exhibition. The monumental indigo installation that she is referring to was originally inspired by the artist’s residency in Indonesia earlier this year. Traversing the nave, the central batik cloth is flanked by floating copper sculptures, as well as silk rugs for visitors to lie down on and listen to the traditional Mongolian Long Song sound work that fills the space.
Subtle interventions
“Since St Cyprian’s has beautiful ornate Gothic architecture, I wished for the works not to wrestle with that,” Zezegmaa says. “Rather than fighting and screaming for attention visually, I hoped for the works to be like subtle interventions that do not disrupt the architectural environment, but add a layer to it.” Born in Germany but based in Mongolia’s capital of Ulaanbaatar, Zezegmaa’s practice looks to Mongol cosmology, landscapes and ancestral memory. The blue colour that dominates the exhibition is a recurring motif in her practice and an important colour in Mongolian tradition, referencing the eternal sky across the steppe.
Zezegmaa’s installation, which closes the week following Frieze, is the first exhibition in the foundation’s Springboard initiative that gives Asian artists their first UK institutional show on an annual basis. Founded in 1990, the foundation looks to broaden awareness of Asian art and culture internationally, and provides grants and other partnerships to support Asian artists and exhibitions. Recent projects include exhibition support at the Rijksmuseum in Amesterdam, the Saatchi Gallery and Serpentine Gallery in London, as well as an artist commission at the Hayward Gallery and The Whitworth in Manchester.
