For this performance Enkhbold Togmidshoiirev, MoT+++ resident artist from Mongolia, set up a small Mongolian ger (traditional nomad’s tent) outside the main exhibition space, on a small patch of lawn. Inspired by Mongolian spiritual and cultural practices, Enkhbold began by making an offering of fruit, welcoming the audience to his nomadic home and paying respects to the natural spirits of the land.
Placing a whole green orange in his mouth, he proceeded to smear his face with mud collected from the garden, thoroughly covering his eyes, nose, and ears, as if attempting to block out all the senses; groaning, he clamped his jaw down upon the orange, and laboriously ate it without the use of his hands. Next, he invited an audience member to join him within the frame of his Ger, where he lied down and placed an aquatic plant from the nearby Saigon River upon his chest, and asked the audience member to ladle fresh water from a bucket onto the plant, soaking him in the process, while it also began to rain. Finally, he stood up and immersed his head inside the water-filled bucket, doing a brief headstand before flopping onto his back in front of the audience. Spluttering, he removed the bucket from off of his head, and the performance came to a close.
This performance was part of Big Day of Performances | Happy Birthday Bill
Location: Ground floor, Saigon Domaine, 1057 Bình Quới, Ward 28, Bình Thạnh District, Saigon, Vietnam
