WEAVING THE WORLD´S MANE - Octopous (2026)
Weaving the World’s Mane is a nature art project and ongoing series that the artist, Onongua Enkhtur from Mongolia, began working on in 2022.
Enkhtur spent ten days on Hestøya island during autumn 2026, at which time she hand-braided this sculpture, in the form of an octopus. The sculpture consist of approximately 200 meters of natural grass and moss sourced from the island and the surrounding area at Lund.
While the artist was working on the island, the weather was rainy and humid. The strong sea winds and constant moisture made the entire environment feel wet and water-filled. As Enkhtur experienced these conditions, she began to imagine what kind of an animal would survive and adapt in such an environment, which led her to the image of the octopus. The octopus is closely connected to the sea; flexible, fluid, and highly adaptable. Through creating a sculptural form of an octopus the artist wanted to express the atmosphere of the island with its wetness, wind and movement.
The sculpture was created to give the impression of an octopus emerging from the sea and resting on a giant rock. In this way, the natural materials, the weather, the sea environment and the artist´s imagination came together in this temporary form that feels as if it has emerged from the landscape itself.
Enkhtur spent ten days on Hestøya island during autumn 2026, at which time she hand-braided this sculpture, in the form of an octopus. The sculpture consist of approximately 200 meters of natural grass and moss sourced from the island and the surrounding area at Lund.
While the artist was working on the island, the weather was rainy and humid. The strong sea winds and constant moisture made the entire environment feel wet and water-filled. As Enkhtur experienced these conditions, she began to imagine what kind of an animal would survive and adapt in such an environment, which led her to the image of the octopus. The octopus is closely connected to the sea; flexible, fluid, and highly adaptable. Through creating a sculptural form of an octopus the artist wanted to express the atmosphere of the island with its wetness, wind and movement.
The sculpture was created to give the impression of an octopus emerging from the sea and resting on a giant rock. In this way, the natural materials, the weather, the sea environment and the artist´s imagination came together in this temporary form that feels as if it has emerged from the landscape itself.
Photo: Maria Konstanse Bruun and Tomas Westgård
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ONONGUA ENKHTUR (MN)Onongua Enkhtur creates sculptural work through braiding and weaving with grass and says she is particularly interested in the geological and temporal presence of stone. The rocks on Hestøya island carries a deep sense of memory — they are ancient witnesses of the earth, holding the slow time of the planet. In contrast, grass represents renewal and cyclical life; it grows, withers, and returns every year. Enkhtur says her work is an intimate dialogue with nature—a quiet ritual of reconnecting with the world. Artist website |