Considered one of the driving forces of Mongolia’s media art and electronic music scene, Bilguun Tuvshinbold’s journey in media art began with a profound interest in combining visual art with technology and his involvement in numerous art organisations and music festivals as curator and festival director. He often collaborates with artists who create the stage look and visual installations that complement the music, providing an immersive experience for the audience.

Through inviting internationally recognised artists and event concepts, Tuvshinbold brings their visual arts expertise onto large-scale stages. His curatorial project extends to media exhibitions where he explores the boundaries of artificial intelligence (AI) in art. He is particularly curious about how AI can create visuals that are indistinguishable from those made by humans, which leads to the question of whether people can appreciate AI-generated art as they do human-made art and what it means for the future of creativity.

 Tuvshinbold’s work often delves into the relationship between nature, technology, and humanity, exploring how humans have become alienated from nature through technological advancements and reflecting on the parallel distances between nature, technology, and humans and how this separation profoundly impacts us. In his recent curatorial work, Tuvshinbold has tackled themes such as loneliness in the modern era and the impact of technology on society. The recent Xaos Festival was inspired by ‘chaos theory’, which describes ‘how a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state’: experimental, nonlinear artists are the trailblazers who have not only the ability to change the landscape of arts, but also the power to change the way we see the world, leading us to new perspectives, ideas, and values.

Mongolia’s contemporary art scene has faced numerous challenges, particularly in obtaining financial support and recognition. Tuvshinbold highlights that while there is some government support, it is often limited to the classical arts, leaving contemporary artists to seek grants from international organisations. Despite these challenges, the younger generation of artists in Mongolia is thriving, bringing more audience and patrons towards the art scene. The struggle for financial stability is a common theme among Mongolian artists, but there has been a gradual shift towards better support and recognition for their work.

Working in media art has exposed him to the rapid evolution of technology, particularly AI’s impact on visual creativity. Seeing AI generate complex art in a matter of moments—work that once took humans much longer to accomplish—leaves him both amazed and curious. Will AI-assisted art ever be valued like human-made works? Can AI achieve true aesthetic judgment? And does its output qualify as art? Tuvshinbold believes that humans are inseparable from nature, yet technological progress has pulled us away from that connection. Similarly, though we created technology to serve us, its unchecked advancement now outpaces our control. The speed of innovation is exhilarating yet unsettling, leaving us to wonder what future it will bring.

Kharkhorum Eclipse (2023)

Xaos International Festival or Experimental Music and Visual arts (2024)

Based in Ulaanbaatar, curator and festival director Bilguun Tuvshinbold is considered as one of the driving forces of Mongolia’s media art and electronic music scene. His work experiences include manager and later director of Art Space 976 (2012-2020), project coordinator at Mongolia Pavilion at Venice Art Biennale (2015-2022), curator of Kharkhorum International Music and Visual Art Festival (2023), curator and director of the electronic music stage at Playtime, largest music festival in Mongolia (since 2018). 

While organizing over 80 contemporary art exhibitions in Mongolia, he managed presenting large scale and technically complicated media works of leading local and international artists. In 2024 he initiated and co-curated XAOS International Festival of Experimental Music and Visual Art, presenting audio-visual installations and performances of renowned artists such as Ryoichi Kurokawa and Ben Frost. The festival aims to present works of contemporary artists whose works are pushing boundaries of art and music using technological advancements.