Born 1988, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Lives and works in Ulaanbaatar

Gerelkhuu Ganbold's Soldiers who don't know themselves 2013 is a vertical triptych, depicting a horde of mounted horsemen in armour who appear to be riding through a vast desert space. Each figure is rendered with fine detail and close inspection reveals that the armoured suits are either empty or inhabited by skeleton figures, although they sit upright on their horses as though controlled by a ghostly presence. The horde marches in rigid order, which contributes to a sense of isolation and impending disaster. Gerelkhuu's painting draws on a variety of sources, from the genres of Mongol zurag painting and equestrian art, as well as contemporary comics and science-fiction cinema. His ghostly battalion recalls Mongolia's epic past under the legendary empire of Genghis Khan, and simultaneously allegorises the uncertainty of life in the rapidly changing country as it experiences a period of unprecedented urbanisation and widespread economic uncertainty.