French language, as a vehicle of culture and diplomacy, possesses a special combination of melodiousness and logic that structures thought and challenges critical thinking. The musicality of the French language has an elegant capacity to deliver powerful messages with lightness and grace. It is estimated that roughly over 400 million people speak French across North and South Americas, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, and beyond. No wonder, UNESCO gives prominence to French as its working language and promotes it by supporting Francophone cultures in different ways. The French language is like a key that opens doors to many countries.

Child of God emanates ethereal tranquility. As birth and death demarcate the boundaries of earthly life, what happens before and after, or even in between, remains largely a mysterious phenomenon. In her tenth solo exhibition, artist J. Anunaran explores the vast topic through her innovative techniques and personally stylized approach to ancient Mongolian spiritual imagery in correlation with Tibetan Buddhist animal symbolism. Child of God represents hope, longing, rebirth, and the space of transition between material and non-material realms. It intimates the artist’s concept of beingness at the crossroads of dreamlike reality and mythical fantasy.

To a perfectionist, viewing T. Enkhbold’s fourth “Mining” exhibition could be a slightly flustering experience. The entrances to the show are barricaded with wooden fences, rusted scaffolding, and backs of seemingly empty canvases. Once inside, you are compelled to maneuver around dried camel droppings – evidence of the artist’s performance from the opening night.

Great monuments carry their significance from a bygone past into a faraway future. The Statue of Sukhbaatar is Mongolia’s foremost landmark that symbolizes not only the nation’s capital, but also the creed of its people. Ever since it was unveiled in the summer of 1946, the monument, located in the heart of the city, has been a witness to many life changing events for Mongolians. Today, as citizens of a democratic nation, united by the belief in liberty and prosperity for all, Mongolians have gotten used to the freedom that lies in their own hands. However, this has not always been the case. At the dawn of the 20^th century, Mongolia, with a native population that hardly reached half a million, was a disorderly battlefield for ancient and nascent ideologies and their foreign and domestic defenders. As a result of the ongoing terror and bloodshed from all sides, the nation was on the verge of extinction.

Since the spread of COVID-19 the world has seen 10.5 million cases of illness and lost 512,000 people so far. In Mongolia, as of today, thanks to the timely actions by the government and the heroic efforts of health care professionals, there are no deaths, 220 people are sick (who came from out of country), and 175 people have recovered. Due to the strict isolation of those who are infected, the situation in the country is kept under control. Therefore, society in general is circumspect but relatively free to conduct daily life. Since the government’s announcement of lockdown on February 13^th, schools, museums, libraries and theaters are closed, even though their reopening at the end of each month was announced several times before. Currently, public institutions are expected to reopen on July 15^th. As shows and events are cancelled or indefinitely postponed, cultural life in the country remains at a standstill. Those of us who are lucky enough to stay safe, worry about sustenance over a longer period of time. During this time of crisis, three different art exhibitions in private galleries have come as a surprise relief to help nurse our listless minds in quarantine.