Nomad Spirit International Program: Open Call for Artists From Finland, Austria, France and Germany

Nomad Spirit – International Program 2025 invites Austrian, Finnish, French, and German artists to apply for public art program, to be held in remote places of the Gobi region of Mongolia, from Jun 11 to 29, 2025. The program aims to raise public awareness of climate change through organization of public art events and creative activities. The project will select 4 international and 4 Mongolian artists.

Upon successful completion of the Nomad Spirit 2024, the initiators decided to carry out the second edition of the program and selected Tsagaandelger Soum in Dundgobi Province as a main place for the implementation of the public art events and activities. Before launching its public art program, the project will organize research trip to the remote places of the Gobi region, where artists can explore the traces of the climate changes and economic activities of the nomadic families. Check Nomad Spirit 2024 here.

Established 100 years ago, Tsagaandelger Soum is a secondary administrative subdivision in the Gobi region, located 288 km south of Ulaanbaatar city. According to 2024 statistics, 1,004 people live in the Tsagaandelger territory, out of which around 400 live in the administrative center. The cultures and economic activities of the people living in Tsagaandelger Soum have been affected by the climate changes during the last decades, which led 35 percent of its population move to other places in search for the better life.

Funded by EUNIC*, the Nomad Spirit – International Program was initiated by EUNIC Mongolia and its implementing members, the Alliance Francaise Oulan-Bator, the Austrian Embassy in Beijing, the Finnish Embassy in Beijing and the Goethe-Institut Mongolia and will be implemented by the Mongolian Contemporary Art Support Association (MCASA) and its affiliate Nomadic Red Corner International Residency. The program is curated by Gantuya Badamgarav, the founder of the MCASA.

Duties of Artists: 

The selected artists will work together with the project team and the local communities to design and implement public art events and creative activities in Tsagaandelger Soum. Artists are expected to be engaged with the creation of site-specific installations or paintings, organization of workshops for school children or present media works and performances to the public. The project will encourage artists to use discarded and handy materials to create art objects, but will also provide some materials such as wood, paint and other supplies upon need.

Selection Criteria: 

• Experience in public art focused on environment. Forms include, but are not limited to, site-specific installations, mural paintings, street art, media art, and workshop for school children.
• Ability to communicate in English,
• Openness to different cultures, people, and conditions,
• Artists living and working in Austria, Finland, France, or Germany,
• Availability for 18 days (June 11 to 29, 2025)

A jury consisting of the curatorial team and representatives of the funding organizations will select one artist per country. Selected artists will be notified in the first week of April 2025. Note: Open Call for the Mongolian artists will be published later.

The programme offers: 

• International travel cost (economy class)
• Accommodation, food, and transportation during stay in Mongolia
• Production cost
• Renumeration of 1,000 EUR (gross)
• Research trip to Gobi region
• Networking with local artists and institutions relevant to the project

Timeline: 

Feb 15 – Mar 15th, 2025: Open Call
Mar 15th, 2025, 23:00 (Mongolian time): Application Submission Closing
Mar 15th – 25th: Jury Selection of Artists
Early April, 2025: Winners announced
Jun 11th – 29th, 2025: Realization of project in Mongolia 

Check Nomad Spirit 2024

News on webpage: https://redcorner-mongolia.com/nomad-spirit-international-art-program-in-deren-soum-of-dundgovi-province/
Documentary film on Nomad Spirit 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxmMxRqjbwA 

Websites of implementing organizations: 

https://mcasa-mongolia.com/
https://redcorner-mongolia.com/
https://www.goethe.de/ins/mn/de/index.html
https://www.afm.mn/
https://www.bmeia.gv.at/kf-peking
https://finlandabroad.fi/web/chn/mission
https://www.eunicglobal.eu/

*EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for Culture – is Europe’s network of national cultural institutes and organizations, with 39 members from all EU Member States and associate countries.  EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for Culture – is Europe’s network of national cultural institutes and organizations, with 39 members from all EU Member States and associate countries. EUNIC Mongolia aims to develop strong and sustainable ties between cultural stakeholders in the European Union and Mongolia by engaging in activities that are driven by the global challenges we have to respond to together.