Wang Zhengping: Mongolian Horse in North Wind
16 June – 4 July 2026, Wednesdays to Saturdays from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm.
For the first time in Portugal, Ochre Space presents Mongolian Horse in North Wind, a major body of work by Chinese photographer Wang Zhengping, developed over more than fifteen years in the vast grasslands of Inner Mongolia.
Born and raised in the region, Wang Zhengping approaches photography not as an outside observer but as someone deeply rooted in the landscape he photographs. The Mongolian horse, at the centre of this long-term project, is far more than a documentary subject. It becomes a vehicle through which the artist explores memory, identity, belonging and the enduring relationship between people, animals and territory.
Selected from the acclaimed photobook Mongolian Horse in North Wind, published in Beijing in 2024, the photographs reveal a vision that moves beyond conventional nature or wildlife photography. Wang’s images inhabit a space between documentation and poetic interpretation, where the realities of the steppe are transformed through light, atmosphere and a profound attentiveness to the rhythms of the natural world.
Throughout the exhibition, horses appear as both physical and symbolic presences. Embedded in the cultural heritage of Inner Mongolia, they represent freedom, resilience and continuity, while also reflecting the artist’s own personal history. Wang has described the horses he photographs as his family, his friends and even a reflection of himself, revealing the deeply autobiographical nature of the project.
At a time when traditional ways of life across the steppe are increasingly challenged by urbanisation, industrialisation and environmental change, these photographs also acquire an important documentary dimension. They preserve the memory of a landscape and a culture while celebrating their enduring vitality.
Curated by João Miguel Barros, Mongolian Horse in North Wind continues Ochre Space’s commitment to fostering dialogue between European and Asian photography, introducing Portuguese audiences to one of the distinctive voices of contemporary Chinese photography.
