This year, Malou joined the board of directors of the homegrown International Street Art Festival, ТАТУМ  (sounds like “Tatum”). The festival, funded by Alliance Francaise  and the Goethe Institut, is five days of art, music, workshops, skate demos, and cultural exchange. It’s an endeavor that wouldn’t be able to take place without local support and participation, not only from the creators, but the city government and a hefty roster of businesses open to having their surfaces re-imagined. 

GR: Where were you before Mongolia and what did you do there?

MR: I was “working” from my old Spanish apartment, getting a killer view of the ocean and swimming breaks at my little beach, Tamarama. It’s the next to the infamous Bondi Beach of Sydney, Australia. I was hanging in my own hood barefoot, a lot. We had a good café in the day, wine bar by night, friends for neighbours – all on our one street – and a big park at the end, taking you to the edge of a cliff that housed Sculpture by the Sea every year, so I could enjoy strolling around crazy art installations with my bro’s dog. My other time was spent producing photography shoots for fashion editorials and advertising, trying to make ends meet with creativity and inspirational pros.

GR: What brought you to UB? 

MR: It was when digital photography replaced film in the industry. It wasn’t the same for me after that. There were some great changes, but I wasn’t as inspired and my own work ethic was dropping – which I didn’t like about myself. I had to do something. I knew I could learn more and get involved. My home city is extremely beautiful – I love it – but it also has a lot of rules and regulations to pay attention to, which can weigh you down. The only TV I watched was docos on National Geographic Channel, and Mongolia took my breath away: the nature, the history of horses, nomadic, romanticized ideas of sitting with the Tsaatan and reindeers, paired with wanting to work as a volunteer and learn about non-governmental organizations (NGO) for a straight month and nothing else in between. I wanted to work with children who weren’t able to be children. Since I had such an easy going start to life myself, it was time to learn to give. I researched and found out that Mongolia had loads of international organizations. One month turns into three years this June.

GR: Tell us about ТАТУМ. Who organizes it? Who contributes, and who attends?

MR: ТАТУМ, which is an old Mongolian word for something not finished, a continuing, never ending and growing sensation, is the name we came up with for the 2nd International Street Art Festival in UB. Part of the concept lies in the name, to educate and share information. June 15 is the big day for the whole community to enjoy. We’re hoping for a big family affair as we have events, activities and stalls for all ages. All week we have free, open workshops where locals, students, friends, foreigners, artists – basically all walks of life – can attend, with the exception of the graffiti workshop, where applicants were selected from their submitted artwork. The workshops are headed by international artists: DJ No Breakfast from France, who also paints with light; Noe 2 from Paris, deep in the history of French graffiti; German duo Matthias Muller and Andreas Ullrich, with their stickers and stencils; and Mario Auburtin, aka Spone, French graphic fine tip bomber. This year the project is being organized by Alliance Française de Mongolie and the Goethe Institute. We are lucky to have mainly local artists helping out on the big event day. This festival means a lot to them, as they see it as a platform to share Mongolian graffiti with the world.

GR: How did you become involved in the festival, and what is your role in organizing it?

MR: Everyone gets about when the snow finally melts in spring. I was relaxing outside at a central spot my boyfriend likes to skate, when my friend Saraa from Alliance Française, was walking past and told me what she was working on. I immediately proposed a skateboard event tying in nicely with the street genre. I was also about to hold my first pop up gallery party for artists. She also knew that I’m all about supporting artists here in Mongolia, and that I’ve been getting to know them. I volunteer with an organization called the Mongolian Contemporary Arts Support Association, and help out in their 976 Art Gallery.

I’m on the board, brainstorming, getting artists in on it and organizing our Skateboard Mongolia project. My boyfriend Eddie, is one of the original skaters in UB. After being with kids through the long winter here, stuck indoors, I felt a loss for them and kept thinking of how to release their cabin fever. I thought it’d be nice to have an indoor skatepark. A mutual skater friend told me about this guy who had recently returned from seven years in the US and Italy who also wanted to [build a skatepark]. He was a skater, which made me feel my idea had the possibility of being realized and stepped up. So we met, and took it further by adding what we think is important, mixed with our passions, so projects for children and the community surfaced, starting in UB.

Eddie and Malou

GR: What lessons were learned from last year’s festival and how will this year be different?

Location has helped shape the ideas we had bouncing around. We have secured the Children’s Park . It’s already a popular place – the only fun park here – and it has a lot of ground in pretty much downtown UB.  The Park gives so much flow, variety and support to our plans, and we’ve really mapped out the spots to marry the concepts. For example, we have blank walls to bomb and anyone who comes to the workshops can paint, write it up, or do their very own piece. And this is also a nice example of growth from the first festival, being able to involve more community participation, local artists. We also have city government backing it up by giving us a large, outdoor, public wall at Sansar Tunnel. iLoft Function House  allowed us into the club for our DJ workshops, to put more art on their walls, and to host our pre-party.

Community is of major importance to us this year, so by landing these locations, we’ve also brought in different people. And we get to not just share an incredible art movement with amazing artists, but to introduce everyone to the idea that art, especially street art, is a free way we can all appreciate living and learning together, and take advantage of this uniquely small population. It takes dedication, creativity, work and skills. The more people involved, the better it becomes.

GR: Tell me more about Skateboard Mongolia. 

MR: We are dreaming up so many projects, because we see skating as a sport and an art form that has real, tangible truths that can be applied to strong mental and physical health; like determination, working hard to achieve your goals, communication and not wasting your time, to name a few. And yes, our main project is to open an indoor skatepark, in all the right ways. When you have been dreaming of things for some time, it’s amazing how quickly you can make them happen when the opportunity arises. The skatepark will house things like this first project [with ТАТУМ], but on a larger scale, and it will cross over with other arts. This first project is a foundation and so exciting for us. We will make the most out of learning from it.

Already, some things haven’t gone to plan due to lack of funds and time, but we take it as all part of the experience and keep going. It’s about giving kids something to do before they get bored and lost. Eddie got his students just from skating round and having kids come up to him in interest, to teach them skills and tricks, and some skate terms in English. He’s been workshopping them for a month now. Then, on the 15^th, we will have the kids show us what they have learned. I’ll introduce our project and skate philosophy to our community. The experienced skate crew he’s part of, Ulaanbaatar Originals, will do a demo with our friend playing some electric guitar and another two on the decks. I’ve just been contacted by a hip hop artist who wants to help out, so we have rappers involved as well. All while some artists will be scribing on t-shirts. We wanted to give our five students a brand new board each on the day of their demo, but again, it will have to wait. They share boards at the moment and two of them have Eddie’s old, ripped boards he fixed from a mash of graveyard pieces.

Everyone involved has volunteered. The support has been incredible and we are very family oriented. Sometimes the kids come around to our apartment, play with our pups, or on our mini-foosball table while Eddie fixes their trucks. Support has also poured in from other friends in the community. The Pop Up Gallery parties I’ve been holding have landed us the only funding for our project so far. I’ve got these first couple of projects happening for the first time, all at once. But I wanted to really listen, observe and talk to the people of Mongolia, to see how I could give, and finally I’ve discovered I can, through all types of arts; arts for education, health, environment, sustainability, and creating jobs that people want to do. There’s so much, not only donating food or other necessities, that we can give children and the community; bursts of creativity that they are also hungry for, freedom of expression, interaction, color, inspiration, connection. And we can balance out the mining industry, as not everyone can be part of that. And we can add to the international perception of Mongolia.

GR: Where do you see street art and culture headed in UB?

MR: I see street art everywhere. It’s not only happening in UB, there are writers in Darkhan too. There are talented and experienced crews out there. The first graffiti was up in 1997, by the artist ANZ, and it’s been well documented since, partly because of him. He’s gained a lot of respect from everyone due to sharing his skills, standing away from the spotlight and instead, encouraging those who seek it. There is so much constant change in Mongolia. You can literally watch the grass grow, so there is always new street art going up. I think they are headed to be a respected part of the community. It can be so dark, with construction or cold, that graffiti has made a more colorful environment.

At the moment, there are half built buildings here en masse. It’s a perfect playground for street art. But having said that, there’s a large strip of wall that leads down to the train station that was originally bombed with permission from the Government and Railway Authority. The support is interesting. I’ve been told there has only ever been one arrest from bombing the State Department Store’s wall. There are many strong, lasting traditions, so the culture is already thick.

I have started Pop Up Gallery parties to expose as many Mongolian artists as possible, and support the arts community as freely as possible, making it everybody’s event. In the end, because a lot of it is volunteering what artists already have on hand (the parties are called “Come as You Are”), just people showing up for a good night makes it all possible. They’ve kicked off well, and we’ve sold a lot of work, as well as having interactive art. Our tattoo parlor gets a working, the DJs are performing, our pups are socializing… everyone is creating! I don’t take any commission on artworks and I try to make it an artist initiative – they help hang and organize, and I label all their contact details so anyone interested can reach them directly, or through me.

I see Mongolian street art being embraced by the community here, especially from this year’s festival. Slow and steady, and ready for the streets and galleries around the globe.

GR: What do you see as the locally grown elements of UB street culture, as opposed to the imported influences?

MR: There are so many elements unique to Mongolia that shapes their style. Like the weather – they really can’t do anything in the heart of a -30’s celcius winter. Unnatural influences, like the constant construction and changing infrastructure of the city. And largely, they are influenced by the small population and their culture and traditions. For example, the history of the Mongol Empire gives their characters an automatic comic-style warrior, as do their animals and their own writings in calligraphy and old Mongolian script. It can bounce from old to new in one piece. And materials are really hard to come by, like proper spray (but I hope to change that soon) which adds creativity. There’s a widespread use of paint and once they are writing or bombing, they have the time, since no one seems to mess with them.

The support given to different crews, and as individuals, helps create a strong community of graffiti artists who know the history of their own city’s writings very well. They share knowledge and experiences. They are influenced by the more experienced graffiti artists and they already overlap with home grown hip hop and rap artists.

Imported influence – I could see that if they had access to imported cans on an everyday basis. It’s not just the decent quality, but the range of colors they could choose from that would make for different pieces. But yeah, foreign tags have been documented. Not many, but some artists from other countries have visited. They have the desire to hook up with them and exchange in the future. It’s like a new city here since Mongolia became a democratic country; working things out all over again, the economic rise. It’s like a new, young city, and they’ve grown up in these times. They are doing and discovering things themselves. Open to surfing the net, their curiosity replaces fear. Hungry for knowledge, thirsty to meet international artists, they’re not pushing it.

GR: Who are the artists that the world should be watching out for?

MR: Mongolian writers, Mongolian crews, Mongolian contemporaries, absolutely. It may all seem young right now, but I like these times, I like it raw.

A look at street art in UB. 

1997 – ANZ  does the 1^st stencil in Mongolia, an image of Zorig “I believe”.

BTC forms, writers are all from the same district of the city.

2005 – Inter Crew bombs the long wall on the road to the train station. This was the first graffiti there.

2008 – Red Eggs Crew  makes its debut.

2009 – Mongolian graffiti by ANZ is featured in Graffiti World: Street Art from Five Continents.

First graffiti battle sponsored by a commercial company is held. S United crew wins. They also went on to make the longest piece of graffiti in the city, “Hamag Mongol” (Great Mongolia).

Music video collaboration with graffiti crew S United and  Panz from Click Click Boom  called “Color Transporter”  about coloring the dark city.

2010 – Red Eggs Crew creates first 3D graffiti in UB.

2012 – Heesco  returns to Mongolia to paint a mural at the School of Cultural Education in UB

First International Street Art Festival takes place in Ulaanbaatar.

FAILE  comes to Ulaanbaatar for a collaborative installation project in the National Garden Park.

2013 – 976 Art Gallery opens “Lost Children of Heaven”

Second International Street Art Festival takes place at the Children’s Park in Ulaanbaatar.

Follow ТАТУМ on Facebook for up to date photos of the work going up around the city and at the Children’s Park. For more information about any of the artists mentioned, or  to find out how you can help Skateboard Mongolia, contact Malou Rose.

A Visit from Xeni and Tim Shey (Boing Boing – Uglycon)

The title went one way, the talk went kind of in another direction, as a lot of conversation revolved around stereotypes and the myths and or breaking of them. Yet, why would one think it’s “hip to be Asian?” 15 minutes or so won’t cover it, yet it’s a conversational topic that’ll be brought up when ever a hit single, TV show or Asian themed current event hits the air. (KPCC – Hip to Be Asian).

T.S.O.L. singer Jack Grisham just released a new collection of short stories, Untamed. To celebrate, he had a book signing/punk rock matinee at The Observatory in Santa Ana. For the price of the book you got a free show! I got there just in time to introduce Jack to Eloise, have my copy signed, and catch the end of the afternoon’s final opener.

The Detours are a first-wave Orange County punk band, circa 1977. And in addition to decades of shredding to dip into, they can throw in a ripping version of “No Way” (doesn’t hurt that various members have played in The Adolescents, D.I., Christian Death, Social Distortion…). Awesome.

Four o’clock headliners T.S.O.L. gleefully served up all the old hits like maniacs, from anarchist rippers like “Abolish Government/Silent Majority” to proto-death rock classics like “Sounds of Laughter.” The pit was raging for a Sunday afternoon, and I was stoked that my five-year-old daughter lasted more than halfway through the set. I was also shocked to find out that the band played a second show that night at an American Legion Hall in Baldwin Park. Damn! Jack says the band is embarking on a South American tour this week, but there’s another chance to get your book signed at Beyond Baroque on June 23. Go! Jack isn’t as scary as you think.

PUBLICATION REVIEWS

Untamed, Jack Grisham
Jack Grisham’s literary work is joyfully twisted, right in step with the T.S.O.L. singer’s musical output (dark, violent) and legend (troublemaker, ass-kicker). And like his memoir, An American Demon, the brand-new collection of 10 short stories by T.S.O.L.’s singer is loosely based or at least inspired by his own life experiences. What’s real and what’s made up provide a ton of subtext for literary punks but fallen angels, torture, murder, and sex with stuffed animals make it a real page turner for anyone. Accompanied by R. Crumb-esque illustrations by Scott Aicher. [Punk Hostage Press]

Hard Art, Lucian Perkins
This collection of images by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lucian Perkins draws not from his stints in Afghanistan, Kosovo, or the Persian Gulf War but the Washington DC punk scene of 1979. The unpublished black-and-white photography captures key gigs in the embryonic punk scene that included Bad Brains (before they left for New York) and Teen Idles (featuring pre-Minor Threat Ian Mackaye and Jeff Nelson). The live shots are stunning but the photos of the audience are just as important–reflecting a real sense of community and not just a star factory. Insightful narrative is provided by none other than participants and musicians Alec Mackaye and Henry Rollins. [Akashic Books]

Perpetually Twelve 10
The balance has shifted from words to art in the latest issue of McHank’s zine out of San Diego. Among other pieces, I really dig the hot-rod inspired brushs of Mr. Sleeep and bold inks of Frenemy. McHanks’ fan art is awesome, too. I call it that not disparagingly but because he lovingly depicts Kermit the Frog and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the same enthusiasm and spirit shown in interviews with the band More Humans and Matt Pryor from Get Up Kids. McHank reminds me why zines are awesome, and has not only gotten me back into them but actually invited me to contribute to this one. My two-page comic strip is right up front, and you can see the first few panels here… Hit up my friend for a copy! [www.facebook.com/perpetuallytwelve]

                 Raffle round-up at the theatre. Just one of many gatherings in Darkhan.

Many of Mongolia’s national holidays still have ties to its Soviet Era. Children’s Day is one of my favorite “quintessentially Mongolian” holidays:  it fits in with the country’s socialist past, it jives with the way Mongolians revere children, and it has adapted quite quickly into a lucrative holiday for retail. A little bit of history, a little bit of tradition, and a little bit of what lies ahead – a compelling jumble commonly found here.

You should prepare by getting stocked up on gifts for the little ones in your life. Gifts can be modest or exorbitant: a bar of chocolate, a goodie bag with assorted junk food, or a bicycle. We prefer the generic goodie bag . With 7 close in-laws with kids (some with several), we have to be fair, but also economical. Plus we’ve got our own now. Granted, she’s happy chewing on a couch cushion, but still…

After lunch with an American journalist (in town to research a water diversion project that will have a huge impact on the region), we went to check out the action at the big theatre in Darkhan, our local cultural center with a massive plaza. We had seen a modestly sized circus tent going up the day before, and the whole city was abuzz for Children’s Day. Little girls were wearing their pouf-iest princess dresses, kids were running more amok than usual, drivers had their headlights on in the daytime (a celebratory thing), and the Children’s Park was swarming with people. Milling about with the girls in tons of tulle, were emees (grandmothers) in jewel colored deels (traditional clothing).

Children’s Day is still conventionally observed as Mother and Children’s Day. Last year, we spent the day in a crowded auditorium in Nomgon soum (town). Families from the countryside were gathered to celebrate by honoring esteemed grandmothers in the soum and its surrounding region occupied by nomadic herders. Our Emee was one of the notable honorees, as mother to 9 children and grandmother to a small army of her descendants. Normal mothers, not the ones who get medals and plaques for expanding a soum’s gene pool, don’t get a ton of fanfare. Mothers are congratulated on Children’s Day, and treated to a little extra attention, but not all the loot that their little ones get.

Children’s Day also reminds everyone that summer is just around the corner. Kids finish school either before, or within a week or two of Children’s Day. Graduation ceremonies have taken place and grass is green again. There’s no better time of the year to extol the vessels of hope for the future.

After getting our tickets for the 5:00 show of the Mongolian circus, we headed to Miga and Jagaa’s new apartment for a Children’s Day gathering of family. We distributed gifts to the little ones present, ate way too much food, made the babies play with other (then separated them when they’d start crying in stereo), and watched a broadcast of a kindergarten performance of traditional dancing. One of our own was one of the dancers, and as we watched, she recreated the choreography in the crowded living room.

We made it back to the theatre just in time to que up for a decent seat in the circus tent. The sky was threatening rain, and people were getting antsy in line. The Mongolians I know don’t like to wait in lines. I think it reminds them of the breadlines in the 90s when the country became an independent democracy. Since that time they’ve become fully accustomed to the Asian shove-your-way-to-the-front technique, and as people started to flow forward and disappear into the plastic flaps tent’s entrance, we drifted our way there, eased back two steps for every one step forward, by the passive-aggressive surge of bodies.

Despite the crush of people going in, there were plenty of good spots in the acrylic chairs bolted to the iron bleachers. They pitched forward a bit, but that came in handy once the show opened with a dramatic aerial act. Young performers, presumably the children of Children’s Day not that many moons ago, kept the drama going throughout the show, with more aerial performances, acrobatics, group juggles, contortion, and comedy bits. There was only one act that had safety rigging – the trapeze girls – and everyone performed on top of concrete covered by an un-padded, thin, red rug.

Terra slept through the first half of the circus, which was the most astounding feat happening under that tent. Each act had their own booming soundtrack, a royalty-free mix of Danny Elfman, Cirque du Soleil tracks, Mongolian songs, and Euro-Techno beats. I think the sound guy had one reliable dial for adjusting volume, and he seemed to relish experimenting with it.

Despite the technical difficulties, the show was really impressive. The young performers were high energy, and professional in the ring. A group of tumblers in Wild West Indian costumes dropped a stack of people piled three-high, but they came down in the most graceful looking heap. They exchanged quick looks of despair, got steely-eyed and did the routine again. They nearly nailed it the second time around.

The circus closed with the entire troupe performing a dance for ecology. A foam tree stump was rolled out, and each performer danced with a branch from the fallen tree. They sang lyrics reminding the audience that life here depends on the health of the land, and that robbing it of trees hurts us all.

We distributed the last of our gifts on-hand before heading home after the circus. We still have some family to visit tomorrow, and we still have to settle up with the two kids we’re in charge of. Tomorrow will have considerably less fanfare than today, but hopefully still have holiday sale prices.

Children’s Day can bleed a family’s monthly budget dry, but it doesn’t have to. For most, it’s just a day to enjoy one another, and to relish in the ease children have with making the most of what you have and the people you have around you.

One of the tiniest shops on Sunset, Vacation Vinyl, has hosted some of the gnarliest in-stores, from Converge to OFF! Before this week’s Retox gig in the shoebox-like store, guitar ripper Michael Crain asked my friend Ben and me, “Did you bring earplugs?”

The Tinnitus-inducing San Diego group takes the ultra-aware, hyper-detailed hardcore of singer Justin Pearson’s best-known band The Locust and strips away the conceptual layers but not the brains or surgical precision. Featuring the furious rhythm section of bassist Thor Dickey and drummer Brian Evans, their raw-yet-forward-looking hardcore jams are loaded with animalistic power yet worthy of being deconstructed. Yes, it was a very heavy 20 minutes at Vacation and I kept wondering if JP was going to knock the camera out of my hands whenever I broke it out. (Never happened.)

Watch the appropriately fast-moving doc (featuring members of Melvins, Tomahawk, and the YYYs) and then cop the new LP, YPLL, right afterward. Definitely catch them live when you can, too, because they could implode at any second–although these guys are way too smart and seasoned for you to ever worry about them sucking.

PUBLICATION REVIEWS

Mike McGonigal, Temperature’s Rising: Galaxie 500 – An Oral and Visual History
The proto lo-fi indie trio from Cambridge wasn’t around for that many years but was massively influential and still much loved. Hence, this handsome paperback about the band’s rise, success (in Europe), and disintegration with each of its albums roughly representing one of the chapters of its lifespan. Fans will briskly read the no-holds-barred reassessments and anecdotes from not only members Dean Wareham, Damon Krukowski, and Naomi Yang but also producer Kramer, Simon Raymonde from the Cocteau Twins, and many other key contributors and observers, and then go back to devour the meticulously collected photography and artifacts with droll annotations by Naomi herself. An excellent time capsule and true labor of love. (Yeti Publishing)

Jennifer Ward and Susie Ghahremani, What Will Hatch?
I’ve grown accustomed to seeing the brushwork of indie art superstar/my longtime friend Susie Gharemani in person so it was a real trip for me to see it reproduced in this gorgeous children’s book by Jennifer Ward. As a parent of a recently graduated preschooler, I put a lot value on books that not only trigger her imagination with well-framed information but cultivate her aesthetics. This is a perfect example with curious die-cuts and a mature color palate that balances the cuteness of the animal babies depicted. (Walker & Company)

Eleanor Whitney, Indulgence 11
It was shortly after seeing the aforementioned Susie Ghahremani’s band play that I was handed a copy of this zine. Simply (and beautifully) made with a Gocco cover and bound by string, it has a cut-and-paste aesthetic and energy that mirrors its maker’s credo. Eleanor writes about joining a band after years of being a fan of music, which is inspiring, and includes thought-provoking infographics, but my favorite part is where she daydreams about Los Angeles being a creative mecca favorable to the DIY capital of the world where she comes from, Portland, OR, and comparable to Paris, France. What excuses do I have to not fulfill my dreams? (killerfemme.com)