Female Forms of Resilience in Shurentsetseg’s Art: Reclaiming Your Agency Through Painting Process
Curatorial Essay by Dr Tsendpurev Tsegmid
A mature woman is relaxing in a bathtub, one of life’s most private moments. She is naked, relaxed, and unidentifiable. You can almost feel the coldness of the bath tiles, concerned if the water is warm enough to offer the degree of relaxation, it ought to provide. We do not know. The artist drew a few leaves on her body and the tiles. A masterful mix of deep green, blue, dark blue and light green and the lack of other visual elements creates a mysterious and intimate scene. The artist has deprived us of revealing more details about her face, race, ethnicity, or anything else to contextualise her situation further.
This painting calls into a fundamental question, whether we, modern human beings, can look at a naked woman’s figure and not associate it with sex, gender, race, eroticism, feminism and more. The answer is doubtful. But that’s the provocation we face here with Shurentsetseg’s paintings in her upcoming solo exhibition “Bold Female Forms”. We, or I, as a curator, view these paintings through various lenses, which are influenced by many factors such as upbringing, education, societal positions, and the topics mentioned above. However, are we facing a problem of overcomplicating and overreading them?
Shurentsetseg reminds us about the magnificence of a female form depicted millions of times, starting from early human cave homes. At the same time, she vehemently denies that there is neither a feminist nor erotic concept behind them. The artist declares: “I am not feminist per se. But I know nearly every woman around my circle, in one way or another, became a victim of abuse by men. I never lived like a man, so I don’t know how life is as a man. Therefore, I portray women because this is what I know and the closest to me.” (2023.04.19, Zoom Interview #1) It could have been more acceptable for the majority if she followed current trends. She doesn’t go with the trend. I empathise with her on this aspect as regardless of the period, year, or what are New and Hot; art must have a ground to hold onto, in both abstract and metaphysical senses. Without it, it becomes a matter of raw feelings and reactionary impressions of something or someone. And there is that static and grounding quality in her paintings.
When asked about why she depicts large women, once considered as having the most desirable figure, she replied: “I don’t like to see women being discriminated because of their appearance as if there is one standard for beauty. Asking women to be thin, for example. There is no one standard.” (2023.04.27, Zoom Interview #2). I continued and asked about the potential connotation or interrelation of eroticism and sensuality in her depictions of women; Shurentsetseg replied: “I do not consider these paintings to contain any erotic narrative or content. To accentuate the female form, for example, breasts, posterior, and thighs had to be pronounced to actualise a grown-up woman. That’s it.” (2023.04.27, Zoom Interview #2)
Surprisingly, her paintings contrast with Shurentsetseg’s demure disposition and calm manner, as understood by others gazing at her and only seeing what they want to see. Interpersonally, she is thoughtful, prefers to say less and acts more adjusting to others than herself. This tendency perfectly aligns with the stereotypical Asian women perceived by Western lenses; however, beneath that balanced posture, there is a powerful survivalist hiding. In some of her paintings, this hidden Self flashes in small elements, such as lone leaves without cores, but somehow, they are alive. The most significant subconscious interpretation of the Self is in the depictions of towering, classically curvy and bold women posing in unconventional ways. I inquired further about the unusual standing and sitting positions in her numerous paintings; she said: “Yes, this is almost like being pulled back or pushed by someone, but she is staying still, and her feet are firmly on the ground. I try not to take an extreme stance on anything. But I do advocate for women and wish to protect women.” (2023.04.19, Zoom Interview #1) The artist’s interpretation has contrasts; however, you could justify this with her natural desire to survive in the harsh society and still dare to express her ideas on the canvas. Whilst many never even question or come to terms with their inner conflicts, only a few manage to face their fears and channel their frustrations into the creative process.
In this exhibition project, I assumed the responsibility of a curator delving deeper into her concept, thoughts, processes, and challenges that the public might have overlooked otherwise. My usual approach is that after reviewing artists’ artworks, I pose questions to artists to uncover what lies beneath them. Why, Why and Why? Not because every painting must have a definite reason, specific drive or social message, but because it is critical for contextualising the exhibition and communicating the result with the public. The standard procedure is familiar to artists educated in Western countries. However, when it comes to artists based in Mongolia, curators or researchers asking serious questions about their art is still uncomfortable for most. The Soviet-styled art education of follow-the-teacher-do-not-question could explain this. Openly talking, debating or disagreeing with your teacher is routinely discouraged, and students are told to learn the technical skills of painting, drawing, and sculpting. With Shurentsetseg, I had three online meetings lasting over five hours, and this was the first time the artist had extensive discussions with a curator since her graduation in 2011.
“Why do you paint?” I asked this basic but essential question from Shurentsetseg; during painting, she said she feels time freezes for her, so she doesn’t think about her past. Reclaiming your agency might require many different methodologies, thousands of self-help books written, and podcasts running as I write here. Yes, but the only method that works for you and is true to you is the method you found yourself. “Whatever happened, happened, must live on, must continue. I hope my paintings offer something different to the public. I prefer to stay faithful to myself and paint what I want, not thinking about saleability.” (2023.04.27, Zoom Interview #2)
And the final question I posed was: “What rights does Shurentsetseg have to bring her interpretation of female forms in this highly contested era regarding women, womanhood, and feminity?”. To answer this, let’s forget that Shurentsetseg is a woman, not renowned and from a third-world country, once roamed by Chinggis Khaan and his “barbaric” horde. Above everything, we must remember that she is a human first, striving, surviving and challenging herself to go beyond others’ expectations under multi-layered pressures but not resorting to attention-seeking behaviour online or offline. Instead of “shouting” to be noticed, she chose this somewhat muted self-healing method of painting. And that’s what she is comfortable with; it works for her, and I am happy to become her voice for this exhibition.
From the 7th of June 2023, for ten days, Shurentsetseg stages her fourth major solo exhibition, consisting of 60 paintings, titled “Bold Female Forms”, at Norphei Art Gallery, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
You are all welcome!
Dr Tsendpurev Tsegmid
Exhibition Curator
2023.05.22
Münster, Germany
