Herkunft und Hinkunft (2020)

Soyombo symbol stamp und Bundesadler stamp, two hand-carved stamps, 4,5x3,5x6,0cm

and 4,0x3,0x7,0cm.

In the work, I point to the splitting of the self, similar to what the veil and double consciousness by W.E.B. Du Bois describe. When Du Bois writes of this double consciousness, he is primarily referring to a distorted perception of the self. This is influenced by an extrinsic, yet internalised representation of the self that is not accurate.

A self that, in my perception, does not allow for a transnational identity and has internalised an otherness.

In 2017-2018, I replaced my Mongolian citizenship for a German citizenship and finally became in one way a naturalised and in another way an expatriated citizen.

This decision to give up a part of my identity has occupied me for a long time.

Herkunft und Hinkunft is a moment in my personal emotional transformation that deals with the process of letting go of an integral part of my identity.

The Soyombo symbol is the national symbol of Mongolia and it appears on the Mongolian national flag.

The Bundesadler symbol is the national symbol of Germany and it appears on the German national flag.