Conversations with the Inspiring Eriko Tsogo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eriko Tsogo.

Eriko, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Eriko Tsogo. I am a Mongolian American cross-disciplinary artist, art management professional, civic engagement project developer, immigrant and women’s rights activist, sexual abuse survivor and DACA recipient born on the steppes of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and grew up in Budapest, Hungary during the downfall of Communism. 

Born into an art family, art and creativity has always been my stable of life. I immigrated to the United States my family at the age of 8. I am an alumni of Denver School of the Arts (2008), having attained my B.F.A (2012) from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and Tufts University. I am based in Denver and mindscape Mongolia but live bi-coastally in the US. 

I have had numerous art shows, curatorial projects and art residencies throughout the United States. In 2018, I founded the “International Yurt Art Residency Program” an artist-in-residence program focused on facilitating artist exchange between Colorado and Mongolia. I also founder the “Dream Yurt, A Socially Engaged Project” and every “Healing Yurt” to “Healing Yurt: Sex & Gender Empowerment Festival” and “Healing Yurt” nomadic civic engagement project series dedicated to promoting kinship across our differences while eradicating social barriers through the power of art and community. 

Alongside my art practice, I have worked as the Creative Director at the Mongolian Culture and Heritage Center of Colorado from 2006 – 2019. I am a published author of two art books, and founded call-to-action apparel collection “HiliteDreamer” and “DACAMERICALIEN” honoring LGBTQ and marginalized identities. My first animated short film entitled “Tears of the Sky” premiered at the 2019 Colorado Dragon Film Festival. 

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In 2013, I became a DACA recipient under Obama’s administration. For many years, I had no means to acquire vital documents needed to build the basics of life in America. Up until the age of 23 I was still considered an undocumented alien. I had learned to live invisible to the system. When it came time to pursue higher education after high school I had no means to aspire for a hopeful future but I believed in myself and proceeded to fight the system. Shooting into the dark, all I could do was to put my best effort forward and applied to seventeen colleges. Eventually the work paid off and the universe responded though my art and academic portfolio which earned me a full merit scholarship to School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. 

In being undocumented throughout majority of my adolescence into adulthood, my life continues to be fraught inside a politically binding quarantine system but through this adversity I have learned the value and meaning of how one could be limitless within limit. Nothing is out of reach unless you believe it so. In being undocumented and all the exploitative consequences that come with it – I learned how to pave my way or make a way even when there is no way. It has taught me the virtue of inner strength, perseverance, and resourcefulness. 

As an immigrant originating from the margins of society, I have instilled in me an enduring level of survival rigor, work ethic, and drive for self betterment.

I am a result of all the failures I’ve had and learned from, hardships dealt and overcome in my life. I strongly believe in the power of education, adversity, altruism and self-government to defy against any type of gender, creed, career, economic and societal constraints. 

Regardless of my legal status, I’ve learned to take refuge and a sense of equality in my human rights. I try my best not to let societies and peoples defamatory treatment, discrimination and labels affect my inner freedom as a citizen of the world. My main goal in life is to live a spiritual existence fulfilled with meaning, to support myself through doing what I love and help empower others on the way. 

My ever-revolving identity as a first generation Mongolian American nomadic voyeur and and sexual abuse survivor profoundly shapes my artistic process and approach to life. My sexual trauma history has and continues to have a profound affect on who I am today and culprit behind much of the work I do. My artworks act as part biographical expose, portraying the universal psychological inner journey of the marginal identity. I seek to help transform the lives of others through the power of art, film and social practices by way of education, empathy, inspiration, advocacy and empowerment. In helping others, I heal myself.

The only advise I have to relay to other women on route to starting their journey would be to embrace and live your truth. Ask more “why not?” over “why”.

Please tell us more about your artwork, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I enjoy working on multiple art series at once. Some of my current art series include:

“WRONG WOMEN, Myths from Sky” drawing series. Chronicles the metaphysical pilgrimage of the nude marginal woman/heroine as she travels through the kaleidoscopic labyrinth of time, space and nature. On the journey, she must learn to navigate and overcome perpetual opposition and adversity, worldly obstacles exemplified through various conceptualized physical bodily trials, in order to find herself. The artworks act as part biographical expose, addressing the universal truths/struggles of the women in marginal identity – seeking to help transform the viewer through the power of empathy, inspiration, and empowerment.
(http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/project/drawing/)

“1001 Cards, A Drawing Project” or pocketknife philosophies, currently at card #537 and counting. Forming parenthesis to infinitesimal brevities, the 1001 Cards – A Drawing Project is an ephemeral symptom archive of a life accumulated by grids. These are my personal visual philosophies based on a repository of inner private observations created on altered/found/donated business cards. Text regurgitated as morphological excess to inspire and or alleviate thinking prolongs; thereby welcoming the absurdities that lie therein and other lighthearted attempts to make sense of the world.
(http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/1001-cards-a-drawing-project/)

“Watercolors & Lighthearted Exercise” dark humour painting series. Provoked by media soundbites and pop culture disco balls. IAM+dancing girls.
(http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/watercolors/)

“HiLiteDreamer” apparel collection. Featured here are the physical manifestation and manipulation of invasive memories we all share inside but afraid to speak about rendered into form. These are the boundary-pushing graphic tees for the generation of millennial mavericks featuring one of a kind, cutesy to horrific self-pleasing original artwork illustrations inclined towards the gender fables, socially taboo, perverse, sex, gore, dainty and dark packaged in lines of white, black, red and hidden repeating motifs.
(http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/a-hypothesis-which-is-also-a-testimony/)

“Love Letter” text-based series, messages on new/used condoms. Thoughts first marked on the inflated surface; breath as absolution to reoccurring thoughts. Deflated the once largely marked letters become small, expressive, and intricate forms
(http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/love-letters/)

“Awards & Digital Excerpts”, writing series. Typewritten confessionals on award certificates, handwritten epistles and virtual screen-captures of attempts at transcending ghost perversions.
(http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/awards/)

Current ongoing curatorial social practice/civic engagement projects:

– “Dream Yurt” a socially engaged art project created by collaborating family artists Eriko Tsogo (daughter), Tsogo Mijid (father) and the Mongolian Culture and Heritage Center of Colorado.

The “Dream Yurt” project is designed to eradicate social barriers through the power of art and community, and in place celebrate kinship across our differences. By engaging/challenging systems of power, the project aims to transform systems of structured oppression and displacement while celebrating diversity, promoting social activism, equal justice, and inspiring social change.
(http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/socially-engaged-projects/dream-yurt/)

– The “International Yurt Art Residency Program” (IYARP) was founded in collaboration with Mongolian Culture and Heritage Center of Colorado, Shambhala Colorado Mountain Center, Mongol Art Council US and Land Art Mongolia/LAM 360° rural artist residency program in Mongolia.

IYARP seeks to nurture artists and the creative process by offering them one to three months partially funded cross-cultural residency exchange experience awarded to 2 artists (one artist from Colorado, one artist from Mongolia) per each quarter. IYARP is open to all 2D, 3D, digital, cross-disciplinary, experimental, film and writing art disciplines.

Selected artists get the chance to travel internationally to each other’s host countries rural locations and simultaneously share the experiential dwelling of both an open-air/land and a closed-studio laboratory inside the traditional Mongolian yurt for individual creative pursuits. IYARP utilizes the physical container of Mongolian yurt and the rural setting of natural land and open-air space as root inspiration for spatial and outdoor visualization of the relations between nature, culture, urbanization, loss of natural world/man and social practices.

IYARP aims to disrupt the status quo in order to create communal meaning and cultural integrity among indigenous and migrant cultural groups. Through the gifts of focused time, space, inspiration and resources – IYARP has three-fold mission to (1) help bridge/encourage artistic and multi-cultural artist exchange between the East and West (Colorado and Mongolia), encourage (2) enrichment through diversity while (3) promoting/inciting discourse, advocacy and creative capital on cultural and social policy in environmental and social sustainability conducive to each host country.
(http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/socially-engaged-projects/yurt-art-residency-program-trade/)

– “Bridging Cultures: Where Has Your Shoe Been?” is a civic engagement based community nomadic art project in collaboration with Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. An old American proverb recalls, “you can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” In this spirit, the Bridging Cultures shoe workshop uses the power of storytelling, art, and writing to help bridge cultures and bring different communities together to learn from one another. The project promotes cross-cultural education, exchange, understanding, cultural inclusivity, and encouraging power in diversity through the universal language of art.
(http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/socially-engaged-projects/bridging-cultures-shoe-workshop/)

– “Healing Yurt”, as part of the “Dream Yurt” project series – I was motivated to design and contextualize the Healing Yurt art workshop for the Denver Womxn’s March in 2020. The Healing Yurt uses “healing” in a broader sense to help victims and survivors of sexual violence and help alleviate any personal/social issues that need healing. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of the Healing Yurt art workshop to help inspire and instigate personal growth for the individual/survivor and surrounding community.
(http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/socially-engaged-projects/healing-yurt/)

Projects in the making 2020:

I am in the works to open “Adult Peep Show and Striptease, A Sensory and Conceptual Sexart Experience” venue in Denver, operated by madams and featuring exotic adult female performers, artists, and performers. Join the pop-up show experience and become part of the sensory-sensual art experience in latter 2019. Keep up to date with the latest project updates at www.erikotsogo.com.

Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
If you seek to grow and develop, networking is necessary regardless of occupation. It seems like most people shy away from confrontation in asking for what they need from others but much depends on how you choose to define/handle the notion of networking to work for you.

I believe in the power of transparency and vulnerability as strength. I am a direct person who abides by living my truth. I am not afraid or ashamed to ask for what I need or to receive guidance to reach my goals. Although most artists are introverts who would rather stay indoors I find the performative act of networking a refreshing break of alternative social play. It can be scary to put yourself out there, you or your work might not be everyones cup of tea but what matters is the effort. You must put forth effort to yield results. One must also learn to do what they need, even if they don’t like, to get what they want. Every experience in life, good or bad, is a perpetual learning opportunity to redefine and better yourself.

Mentorship is crucial for personal development. I have been fortunate to have many wonderful mentors in my life who have helped guide and advise me with wisdom in navigating life and hardships. I like to surround myself with authentic and aspirational persons, people, and things of integrity in environments and stimulations where I can learn from and seek to grow into, emulate.

Pricing:

• Contact artist for artwork pricing. Prints/posters/greeting cards and stickers range from $3-25.
• HiLiteDreamer apparel ranges from $20-25.
• Eriko Tsogo Art Books ranges from $20-42.
• Contact artist about hosting Dream Yurt, Healing Yurt, and Bridging Cultures Shoe workshop for your next event.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.erikotsogo.com
• Email: erdensyren@yahoo.com
• Other: http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/shop/book/, http://hilitedreamer.storenvy.com/, https://hilitehead.wordpress.com/, http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/socially-engaged-projects/dream-yurt/, http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/socially-engaged-projects/healing-yurt/, http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/socially-engaged-projects/yurt-art-residency-program-trade/, http://www.erikotsogo.com/index.php/socially-engaged-projects/bridging-cultures-shoe-workshop/

Image Credit:
profile picture – I-Park International Artist Residency Open Studios

8 pictures (in upload order):

– “1001 Cards, A Drawing Project” detail view – mixed media on business cards. Est 2015 ongoing.
– “Running Through Thunder” (4 part quadtych) – 30″x88″, mechanical pencil, colored pencil, collage, acrylic on paper, 2010.
– “Coming Home” detail (Wrong Women, Myths from Sky series) – 18″x24″, micron pen, gel pen, xerox transfer on paper. 2018.
– “Sophrosyne” (Wrong Women, Myths from Sky series) – 12″x18″, xerox transfer, micron pen, gel pen on paper
– “Virtue of Chastity: Extimity” (Wrong Women, Myths from Sky series) – 18″x24, xerox transfer, micron pen, gel pen, paint marker, sticker on paper
– Eriko inside “Healing Yurt / Dream Yurt” curatorial civic engagement community art projects.
– Studio View inside Yurt Art Residency Program
– “Wrong Women, Myths from Sky” solo show exhibition view at Leon Gallery, Denver, Feb-April 2018.

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.