CULTURE EDUCATION WILD THINGS TECHNOLOGY MUSIC TRAVEL
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Eriko Tsogo as her alter ego, Bounce Back Qween
All In The Family Meet the artists bringing Mongolian culture to Meow Wolf.
P H O T O G R A P H Y BY S A R A H B A N K S
Eriko Tsogo often tells the story of her father’s art career in Mongolia. Tsogtsaikhan “Tsogo” Mijid’s enthusiasm for experimental, expressionist painting clashed with the communist regime’s preference for realism, resulting in his frequent censorship. So it delights Eriko that 22 years after immigrating to the Mile High City, her father, mother, and sister all joined her under the moniker Betart Collective to build a space inside Convergence Station, Meow Wolf’s new installation in Denver. More than 300 artists created 72 exhibits that form a cohesive narrative about a cosmic merging of worlds. No work captures that union quite like the family’s contribution, called “Mongovoo Temple”—a multisensory room that draws from Mongolia’s cultural, religious, and political histories. One of the few cross-generational teams with work in Convergence Station, the group is unpacking a shared memory of home. “‘Mongovoo’ transcends personal ego,” Eriko says of the room, which is lined with 200 elaborate white fiberglass masks. “It’s not just a Betart Collective project— it’s a Mongolian project.” We journeyed through the wormhole to see the exhibit through the family’s eyes. OCTOBER 2021
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