XAOC Festival 2026: A New Nomadic Spirit Revives in Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar: The international experimental music and visual arts festival XAOC will return for its third edition under the theme Resurgence - A New Nomadic Spirit, taking place in Ulaanbaatar from September 25 to October 4, 2026. This year's festival will bring together 17 artists from 11 countries to explore migration and displacement driven by geopolitical tensions, economic hardship, and climate change, as well as the social and cultural transformations emerging in response to these global challenges.According to European Union, the festival program includes site-specific and multimedia installations, video art, performances, sound works, and experimental music. Visual art exhibitions will be held from September 25 to October 4 at X0 Art Space, an 800 m² venue in Ulaanbaatar's Dari-Ekh ger district. The live music event is scheduled for September 25 at Onn Off Production.Mongolian artists T. Enkhbold and L. Munguntsetseg will showcase works that explore the impact of globalization, urbanization, and t echnological advances on modern Mongolian values, mindsets, and lifestyles. Their art contextualizes these changes alongside traditional nomadic culture and ancestral philosophies centered on respect for nature, posing complex questions about our existence and values. Meanwhile, artists B. Injinaash and D. Dorjkhand will display a collaborative audiovisual piece that addresses issues such as rural-to-urban migration, hybrid cultural identities, and the psychological and ecological vulnerabilities facing individuals and communities.Among the international works presented will be Atlas Fractured, a multi-channel large-scale video installation by internationally acclaimed Ethiopian-British artist Theo Eshetu, previously exhibited at documenta in 2017. The exhibition will also feature spatial multimedia works by Filipino-Danish artist Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen, Austrian artist Bernd Oppl, and Danish artist Elisabeth Molin.Also on view will be In Transition, a multi-channel video work by Iranian-Finnish artist Sepideh Rahaa, and Sediment, a short film co-created by Iranian-Dutch artist Arash Kamali Sarvestani and Iranian-American artist Mehregan Pezeshki.The exhibition opening will take place on 26 September at X0 Art Space. The event will feature a collaborative performance by Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen, T. Enkhbold, Kh. Shinetsog, and Finnish artist Timo Viialainen, along with a sound piece by Turkish-Dutch artist Ege Sahin.The live music program includes experimental performances by French artist Sacred Lodge, Italian artist Sara Persico, and Swedish artist Thomas Nordmark. Additionally, Taiwanese artist Wang Chien-Chuan will create a live visual performance for the stage.The works presented at XAOC 2026 are united by a shared exploration of internal and cross-border migration, examining its historical roots, causes, and consequences from personal, social, cultural, and geopolitical perspectives.XAOC 2026 is curated by festival founders T. Bilguun and B. Gantuya, together with Jan Rohlf, co-founder and ar tistic director of Berlin's international CTM Festival.The festival is co-organized by the Mongolian Contemporary Art Support Association, European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC), Goethe-Institut Mongolia, Alliance Française de Mongolie, Austrian Cultural Forum Beijing, Danish Cultural Institute, Embassy of Finland, Italian Cultural Institute, Embassy of the Netherlands, and Embassy of Sweden and supported by Taipei Trade and Economic Representative Office in Ulaanbaatar, Steppe Amusement, X0 Art Space, 99999 and Oi projects.