Bekhbaatar Enkhtur at MAO: site-specific sculpture in the Asia gallery

Bekhbaatar Enkhtur at MAO: site-specific work in the South-Central Asia gallery

Starting April 11, 2026, MAO – Museum of Oriental Art in Turin presents a site-specific intervention by Mongolian artist Bekhbaatar Enkhtur (b. 1994), installed in the South-Central Asia and Himalayan gallery. The work, Untitled (2026), is hand-modeled in beeswax and created to converse with the museum’s permanent collection.

Concept and materials: drawing on the tradition of guardian lions—symbolic protectors codified during the Ming and Qing dynasties—Enkhtur reinterprets the iconography by isolating the cub from the adult lion. This choice challenges notions of authority, protection and lineage. The use of beeswax, an organic and unstable material, emphasizes impermanence, fragility and continuous transformation.

Practical information

• Venue: MAO – Museum of Oriental Art, South-Central Asia and Himalayan gallery, Turin.
• On view from: April 11, 2026.
• Admission: the work is visible with the permanent collections ticket and the Chiharu Shiota. The Soul Trembles exhibition ticket (scheduled through June 28).
• Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10:00–18:00; Thursday 10:00–20:00.
• Visitor advice: avoid touching the beeswax sculpture; the piece is particularly relevant for those interested in ephemeral materials and contemporary sculptural practices.

Artist note: Bekhbaatar Enkhtur was born in Ulaanbaatar in 1994 and lives in Turin. He studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna and has taken part in international residencies and exhibitions. His awards include the Illy Present Future Prize 2023 and a Special Prize from the Future Generation Art Prize 2023/2024.